Powers of the Galaxy
by Kirbboy
Summary: For many years humanity was confined to Earth, unable to escape the oppressive Assault Cells that kept them from space. ORCA knew this, and so, they destroyed humanity's jailors, opening the path to space as humanity thrived once more. However, they will soon find that the unknown expanse was holding much more than anyone could have dreamed of... and so humanity must fight again.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing from Mass Effect or Armored Core.**

**A/N: This is an idea I've had for some time, so I decided to go ahead and post it. It's basically what would be if the canon humans were replaced with the humans in Armored Core. Keep in mind, human characters from Mass Effect still exist, however. Anyway, I just thought I would post this and if enough people like it, continue it. Keep in mind this Armored Core is taken from the events and characters of Armored Core: For Answer. So please read if you are interested!**

* * *

April 11th, 2172. One way or the other, this would be a day ingrained in history as either the day the 'terrorist' organization ORCA was defeated or mankind was finally freed of the shackles that kept them bound to the polluted, inhospitable planet that was Earth.

Otsdarva lurched to the side as an energy blade seared through the space his Next had been not a moment ago, the Next known as Reiterpallasch darting past him, the energy blade that had intended to end him deactivating whilst priming for another strike. The blue Next took aim with his assault rifle at the green adversary, bullets tearing through the air, forcing Reiterpallasch back.

"I will not let you do this, Thermidor!" The pilot of Reiterpallasch, Wynn D Fanchon yelled as her Next ceased moving safely out of range from Otsdarva.

"Is that so…?" Maximilian Thermidor spoke through the external speakers of his own slim Next, sparing a glance at his partner. The black and red Next was still fighting valiantly against the black Next known as My Bliss, the black Next launching volleys of missiles while the other slid between the impacts while attempting to close the distance. Multiple bullets pinged off of My Bliss's armor as the black and red mech's machine guns relentlessly continued their onslaught. "Wynne! Don't you see!? This is the only way for humankind to advance! Thrive!" Thermidor tried to convince the Interior Union Next to give up without losing any lives…at least, no more than what was planned to be sacrificed already. Thermidor cringed at that. It was necessary, he reminded himself. It may cost lives, but it was the only way to escape from this stagnant existence.

That didn't mean it wouldn't leave a bad aftertaste.

"No! I refuse to allow innocent lives to be lost, just for your so-called 'future'!" Wynne responded heatedly.

"Then I guess we can't avoid this. I'm sorry." Thermidor observed, switching to a plasma cannon on his mech's shoulder.

Just as both Nexts were about to reengage, a transmission made it to Thermidor. _"Thermidor! Stop fighting!" _The unmistakable voice of his right-hand man Malzel filled the cockpit of Thermidor's Next, giving the leader of ORCA pause.

Needles to say, Thermidor was rather shocked. "Malzel!? Is that you? I thought you were dead!" According to his intelligence, Malzel had been killed along with his apprentice Vaoh at Big Box.

A chuckle came through the comm, Malzel speaking up once more, _"I guess I'm a little harder to kill than you thought…come on Thermidor, I thought you knew me better than that?" _The strategist's voice suddenly turned serious again. _"I can tell you all about it later. More importantly…the League has agreed to assist us in our plan. The anti-satellite batteries."_

Thermidor was silent for a few moments. "They really…? What made them change their mind?" Thermidor questioned. By now Reiterpallasch had stopped moving, as well as both My Bliss and the black and red Next. "I can assume the others are being told as well?"

"_This transmission is being sent to Mako as well. My Bliss and Reiterpallasch are being sent transmissions from the League detailing the same thing." _Malzel explained. Thermidor considered this for a moment. It would have taken a lot to coax the League to agree with him, of all people. Malzel was able to explain just why. _"Approximately several hours ago, the Cradle group 08 was destroyed." _

Thermidor started at that, " Destroyed? How is that possible? With the power cores, nothing should be able-"

"_Was it the Assault Cells?" _

A new voice made itself known, originating from the Next now known as Mako. "Finally decide to speak up, huh? Well Malzel? Is it true?" If there was one thing Thermidor had learned working alongside the Mako, it was that the Next's pilots had a knack for always being right. He assumed it was no different this time.

"_Yes. As you both know, Cradles rest at an extremely high altitude to avoid the planet's poisonous atmosphere. Apparently, the Cradles' altitude is now in range of the assault cells." _Malzel explained.

"What!? That's impossible! The Assault Cells don't have enough range to-"

"_I know they shouldn't have enough range, but for whatever reason they do. To the corporations, it doesn't matter how it's possible, only that they are stopped. The damage report is the group was completely destroyed, aside from some normals and fighters that managed to escape. The wreckage fell to the surface, destroying an Arms Fort factory under control of Omer Science. Apparently it was enough for them to listen to you. The assault cells aren't just an eyesore to them anymore…instead, they are now akin to an infected wound." _Malzel specified, Thermidor processing the information. _"It seems they finally realize that we are all stuck in a box…a shrinking one. The threat of assault cells one side, the growing pollution on the other. The Cradles are stuck in the middle. As each problem grows, the Cradles will be stuck in the middle until they are crushed between the two." _

"Alright…seems that things are finally turning in our favor. I take it they want to have a meeting or something?" Thermidor inquired. He was rather startled when the voice of the CEO of Omer Science began speaking to him.

"_We were hoping to have it right now, if at all possible. This problem needs to be dealt with quickly, it could become larger faster than we might think. We could all be dead in a day, or a few years." _

"Hmph…I guess it took the blood of the very people you were trying to protect to get you into action." Thermidor couldn't resist making a jab.

"_You were going to make it happen anyway!" _

"I still am, Wynne, unless you all listen to me provide an alternate option. All of us at ORCA are willing to sacrifice lives, including our own, if it means we can secure the future of mankind." Thermidor threatened, moving his Next to take aim at Reiterpallasch.

"_Please, Thermidor. Do not be so hasty!" _Thermidor recognized the new voice, CEO of the corporation Algebra pleaded. _"Can't we all just get along? You'll finally get what you want! We'll hear you out!" _The man announced in an oddly cheery voice. He always gave Thermidor an unsettling feeling.

"I'm not about to turn down a good alternative that would spare lives, I assure you. However, it's difficult to remain calm when your elite pilot has me staring down the barrel of a gun." Thermidor stated, somewhat sarcastically at the end.

The CEO of Omer Science spoke up once more. _"I understand your hesitance. But, allow us to propose this to you. In exchange for allowing us to pursue an alternate path, ORCA will be recognized as an official corporation, with all the rights such a title includes." _

"Seems odd to give a group you all called a terrorist cell corporation rights." Thermidor observed.

The giddy voice of the head of Algebra spoke once more, _"Ha! At this point, we don't have much choice. You see, after the assault cells proved to be major issues, the public opinion of you suddenly switched from terrorists to heroes. There are all sorts of vandalism supporting you, Thermidor, and your merry little band! Everyone now sees the only way to survive is to escape this poisoned world…myself included."_

Thermidor was surprised. "Even though I'm threatening the lives of all those living on the cradles?"

A new, feminine voice spoke. Thermidor recognized it as the CEO of Rosenthal. _"They were initially against you, obviously…but the recent events have forced us to tell the public the…hidden truths. They now agree with your goals, just not the methods. This is why we wish to offer an alternative."_

Thermidor nodded his head, unseen by the people in the transmission. "Alright. Fine. Let's hear your plan, and I'll decide whether or not I like it."

"_Instead of using the batteries powering the Cradles," _The CEO of Omer Science began, _"we have already begun building an entirely new generator, designed specifically to power the anti-satellite batteries indefinitely. We will then utilize the batteries to destroy the assault cells in orbit, allowing us to expand into space. Additionally, we can implement space technology unusable until now. The cradles are being retrofitted to allow for space travel, while a portion of the arms forts' factories have been redesigned to build massive constructs to be used as military, fully armed space vehicles. From there, we will colonize Mars using Eco-domes, enormous livable domes that are capable of housing over twenty-million humans." _The CEO finished his explanation, leaving Thermidor stunned. He had half-expected them to introduce some half-assed alternative, but apparently they had gone full on with this plan.

"_Thermidor, should we go along with the League's plan?" _Malzel asked, sensing that Thermidor was a little overwhelmed.

"Yes…" Thermidor began, finding his voice. "But, as a corporation, will I receive space-faring arms forts of my own?" He had to make sure if they planned to stab him in the back, they would be ready.

"_The arms forts will be split evenly with each of the corporations." _The Rosenthal CEO confirmed.

Thermidor smiled, relaxing in his Next. "Malzel…send a crew to pick Otsdarva and Mako up. We're going to go along with the League's plan."

* * *

April 12th, 2172: The League and ORCA sign a peace treaty, recognizing ORCA as an official corporation. ORCA receives a complement of arms forts, and many humans shift to being in the citizenry of ORCA. Many sign up to work on board the arms forts. Thermidor is unanimously selected to be the leader of ORCA. Big Box is recognized as the headquarters for ORCA.

April 20th, 2172: A number of smaller corporations, calling themselves the Upper League, oppose the League and ORCA. Thermidor selects four Nexts to accompany him in destroying the new organization. Thermidor returns successful, along with many people who had been held unwillingly by the now-destroyed enemies. All those liberated decide to serve under ORCA's banner. The public opinion of Thermidor rises exponentially.

April 21th, 2172: Thermidor gives a speech to the world at large. The speech gives the beaten and broken people of the war-torn Earth hope, as even more people move to be under ORCA's leadership. Off the official records, many people begin to refer to Thermidor as a hero.

April 29th, 2172: The generator for the anti-satellite batteries is completed, the batteries consequently firing, destroying the assault cells that bound the humans to Earth. On the same day, the Cradles break Earth's atmosphere and begin migrating to Mars. The Cradles are accompanied by hundreds of space-faring arms forts, over half being built in only days. Additionally, thirty newly-developed construction ships head to Mars to begin building the Eco-domes. Thermidor is selected as leader for the operation. The mission is called The Expansion. This day goes down in history as the day Humanity was liberated from Earth.

May 22nd, 2172: The migration ships make it to Mars. Construction begins immediately, the project moving at an incredible pace. At the same time, approximately two-hundred military ships move on to inspect the other planets for the possibility of colonization. Plans for Mars to be fully terraformed begin surfacing.

May 29th, 2172: The Eco-domes are completed. Non-military citizens move into the domes immediately, the unpolluted air foreign to many of them, but a welcome change. Medical research is recognized as a necessity to cure the many ailments that plagued the former inhabitants of Earth, a few Next pilots even agreeing to help as they had a reputation of being regarded as geniuses for their incredibly high IQ. Advancements in the field would later prove to evolve at an impressive rate, people now filled with hope at the prosperous events that have occurred thus far.

August 2nd, 2172: A transmission is sent form the now-dubbed _Frontier Fleet _to send mining ships to Saturn. The asteroids are found to be filled with a plentiful amount of resources, useful for humanity's quick advancement rate. Unfortunately, none of the planets scouted thus far are found to be habitable, aside from possible locations for orbiting space stations which could be built in the future.

October 10th, 2172: Scouting of the solar system is completed. No planets are found to be possible for terraforming other than Mars, though moons are marked for possible Eco-dome locations. Military technology begins moving forward again, as mankind was still used to it, and it provided many jobs to fuel the economy, no one saw it necessary to stop. Additionally, Kojima technology begins to see a shift in study; scientists in the field begin researching ways to increase the speed space-faring ships move through space.

October 17th, 2172: All current, land-based models of arms forts are modified as either agricultural platforms or dedicated to the restoration of Earth as radiation recovery bases. Focus is shifted to the newly-built space-faring models, and technology in the area begins advancing. NEXT technology is researched to find ways to allow them to participate effectively in space combat.

November 1st, 2172: A breakthrough in space travel is made. Kojima technology in both the Sol Dios cannons and the anti satellite batteries are researched extensively. Utilizing the Sol Dios' cannons independent movement and combining the theory with the anti-satellite power output, initial tests showed extreme speed increase of a moving object. Seeing as space radiation is a non-issue, the theory is applied on space-faring ships. Taking into account a NEXT's quick boost, Kojima technology is applied to that region, the test ship they had been using suddenly vanishing during the test in a greenish-white burst of light. The scientists begin panicking until the ship returns some hours later. The scientists are shocked to learn the ship had arrived at Pluto in only two hours after activating the dubbed Kojima Boost Engine. Kojima Boost Engines are quickly distributed to all ships in service, making communication and long-distance travel effortless and old-fashioned thrusters obsolete.

November 28th, 2172: Shortly after the success of the Kojima Boost Engine, focus is shifted to primal armor. Seeing the protection such technology provides to NEXT's, scientists attempt to create Kojima particle shields for large scale Arms Forts. It doesn't take long, as the technology on the AF Answerer is expanded, yielding results on the completion of Kojima shields for the arms fort ships. The shields are distributed to all military ships.

November 29th, 2172: NEXT technology is now applicable in space. NEXT pilots are pleased to find that they are now not only an overwhelming force in ground engagements, but in space combat as well.

December 25th, 2172: An old tradition that once existed is experienced once more. Christmas Day, as most all of humanity opts to celebrate. Gifts are exchanged, and trees are bought. Sales in Next action figures see a large increase.

April 28th, 2173: Sales for various versions of toy ships rise considerably.

April 29th, 2173: Humanity begins the celebration of the first day of a new holiday, Liberation Week. It celebrates the beginning of the effort to go to space and save humanity, as well as the day humanity made it to Mars.

April 30th, 2173: Liberation Week, 2nd day. Bars see more customers.

May 1st, 2173: Liberation Week, 3rd day. Many people are found passed out from over-celebrating. This is noted, as future celebrations are deemed to have cautionary messages against over-indulging.

May 2nd, 2173: Liberation Week, 4th day. In the skies over Mars and Earth, a procession of ships fly overhead, including Nexts and various other smaller crafts ranging from fighters to transport vehicles. Fireworks and many other celebratory items accompany the procession.

May 3rd, 2173: Liberation Week, 5th day. Theaters and TV channels change their line-up to show real footage of the various wars that wracked Earth. Footage from wars such as the National Dismantlement War and the Lynx War are shown. One final battle before midnight is shown, the battle of Arteria Cranium, which ended with peace between the League and ORCA. This is seen as necessary to show humanity the mistakes of the past, though it is advised that parents should decide whether or not to allow their children to watch the footage.

May 4th, 2173: Liberation Week, 6th day. Each of the corporations give speeches to humanity, aside from ORCA whom, seen as the guide of the effort to expand into space, is scheduled to speak on the final day of Liberation Week. After the speeches, a moment of silence is had for all those who died in the many conflicts Earth had experienced.

May 5th, 2173: Liberation Week, 7th day. In the morning, humanity listens as each main member of ORCA gives a speech. Thermidor gives a speech on this day as well, reminding everyone of the hardships humanity had to go through to eventually be where they are today. The public's already high opinion of Thermidor and ORCA rises. The speeches are followed by spirited celebration, filling up the rest of the day.

July 9th, 2173: All the corporations coagulate into one system to govern humanity. The coagulation takes on the title ORCA, with Thermidor selected as the leader of Humanity. He is accompanied by a group of other leaders of course, nine in total. Thermidor still represents the individual with the most say, however. The former corporations devolve into companies, to oversee various factories and economics.

September 10th, 2173: ORCA begins construction of a massive ship, larger than that of any ship built thus far. The ship is to be called the Whale, and to be the center of operations for ORCA that will oversee all the actions of the military.

October 17th, 2173: A new company with an old namesake rises, Rayleonard. The company emerged from a shady background comparable to that of the 'mafia' in old Earth history. Despite this, ORCA allows them to exist as they do nothing greatly out of hand and they benefit from technology and advancements Rayleonard is responsible for. ORCA finds it irritating the man in charge refuses to show his face and go by only the 'Illusive Man' but does not press.

December 10th, 2173: Construction on the Whale is completed, and is put into service immediately.

December 11th, 2173 – April 4th, 2176: Humanity experiences a golden age for a few years, and advances are made, though no truly notable events occur. Most holidays resume during this time, and Humanity now has settled into a semblance of normalcy.

April 5th, 2176: A massive energy spike is detected by a ship orbiting Pluto. The ship moves toward the spike to find a massive asteroid, heading in-system. The ship sends a transmission detailing the circumstances.

April 9th, 2176: A fleet of ships intercepts the asteroid over Saturn, firing on the asteroid as it is on a collision course with a space station just out of the planet's gravity zone. To the shock of the fleet, a long, smooth metallic structure is left after the onslaught, clearly alien in make. Hasty efforts are made to keep the discovery under wraps for the time being, but a few snippets of information make it through, including a video with the object. Almost overnight, fear of alien attack becomes a major concern.

* * *

-In orbit over Saturn, onboard the scout ship _Unveiled Truth_-

"You didn't need to be here. We could've handled ourselves." Wynne spoke to Thermidor, tone sounding slightly annoyed.

"It's not because I don't think you couldn't handle it, Wynne." Thermidor informed her as the pair made their way to the bridge. "The Executives made me come here. Since I'm the leader of ORCA, apparently they thought it would look good to the public if I headed the investigation of…whatever this thing is."

"You meant to say 'their hero' didn't you?" Wynne questioned with a smirk.

Thermidor cringed. "I never said I was anything as silly as that…"

"You didn't have to. The citizenry makes it clear enough, you know?"

"So what do you think this thing is?" Thermidor changed the subject, Wynne turning serious.

"If I had to say? I think it's a lost spacecraft, as cliché as it sounds. We found it in an asteroid, Thermidor. It has to be pretty old to be covered in rock." Wynne explained her reasoning, Thermidor seeming to process this. "What do you think?"

"I don't know. Just that it must be old." Thermidor answered her. "Whatever it is, we have to figure it out. We've already allowed the press's ships to take a look at the thing. No doubt, people will want answers." Any further conversation between the two was cut off as the door to the bridge of the ship opened, allowing the two access. Wynn took a seat to the left behind the command chair, Malzel already seated in one to the right. Thermidor sat in the command chair itself. He immediately got down to business.

"Do we have any details on this thing? Where it came from? Anything?" Thermidor questioned from the command chair aboard the scout vessel _Unveiled Truth_.

"Nothing so far, sir." The information officer explained. "We were waiting for your orders. We have detected…something. But we need to be closer for our signals to pierce the armor on that thing."

Thermidor nodded. "Well, if it's my permission you need you have it. Let's bring this ship closer." On his word the kilometer long scout ship moved toward the construct, slowly coming to rest with its side facing what was assumed to be the side of the alien mass.

"Alright, sending a probing signal now, we'll see what-" Suddenly the ship shook, the construct in front of them seemingly beginning to activate.

"Sir! Massive energy spike originating from the construct! Sir, I think…I think it's activating!" An officer on the bridge announced the bridge crew suddenly morphing into a flurry of movement.

"Everyone, brace yourselves! I want weapon systems ready! We need-" Thermidor was cut off as the view in front of them changed, a pulling sensation felt by everyone as they gathered their bearings from the disorienting feeling. The bridge crew quickly recovered, hands flying over the interface as they tried to determine their status. It didn't take long.

"All systems green! No damage received." One of the bridge crew announced, Thermidor relaxing at this. If that was the case, then what had happened?

Another man answered his unspoken question. "Sir…you're not going to believe this, but we are in another solar system, next to another of those constructs. It transported us to another solar system!" Everyone was silent as the navigation officer's tapping on his keyboard was the only sort of movement, until that too, had stopped. "Sir, I'm reading…reading **five **planets capable of supporting life in this system. Five, sir."

There was silence for some time, until everyone on the bridge began cheering. Thermidor simply leaned back in his chair with a wide grin on his face. This was what the humans needed. Space constraints had been the core of humanity's problems in all their many years of conflict…but now, now that would be a thing of the past. Not with these planets available.

As the bridge crew calmed down, Thermidor began to speak. "Alright, everyone. Let's turn this ship around and head home with the good news. It's time to dust off those old construction ships." Thermidor ordered, the bridge crew eagerly moving to carry out the order. However, the navigation officer stopped them.

"Wait! Sir, I'm reading twenty self-propelled masses moving to our position. They appear to be alien ships!" The navigation officer announced, the view screen displaying the unknown ships to the entirety of the bridge crew.

It was plain to see these were not their own. They were streamlined, seeming to focus on appearance more than practicality, unlike ORCA ships. Additionally, their ships were…smaller than the _Unveiled Truth_. And their ship was but a scout ship. There were no detectable Kojima particles in or around their ship either, suggesting their method of space travel was fundamentally different. Regardless, Thermidor had protocol to follow.

"Prepare the first contact package! We don't want-" Thermidor was cut off.

"Sir! We're being hailed. Put it on screen?" The communications officer suddenly announced.

The aliens worked fast. "Go ahead. Let's see what these guys look like." Thermidor gave his permission. Immediately, a picture of a bipedal creature appeared on screen. The alien had four mandibles, and what appeared to be clawed fingers, noticeably only three fingers instead of five. It possessed a crest on its head, and vaguely reminded Thermidor of birds or raptors. The creature had what Thermidor assumed to be some form of oriental face paint.

Garbled speech suddenly filled the bridge, confusing all those on-board. It appeared to be the being talking, in an incomprehensible way of course. Apparently the being on screen caught wind of this, seeming to give orders to someone out of view.

"Sir, we're receiving a data packet. I'm assuming it's a translation program. It seems pretty simple. If I combine it with our language, a simple program will meld the two to an understandable dialogue. Though, I am detecting it has some form of dumb AI. Should I continue?" The communications officer inquired.

"Yes, go ahead." Thermidor said, getting annoyed with the inability to understand the alien he saw in front of him.

"Okay…there! We should be good to go." At the officer's words, the alien could now be understood.

"_-llo? Can you understand me?"_ The alien asked, leaning forward slightly.

Thermidor nodded. "Yes, we read you loud and clear. I take it you understand me as well?"

"_You're coming through clearly. What are you doing here?"_ The alien suddenly questioned.

"What are we…?" Thermidor was slightly thrown off by the seemingly, to him, less important issue. Nonetheless, he decided to go with it for now. No need to be on a new species' bad side. "We came through this…transportation device, with the intention of expanding. We are the race called humans, and know that we have come here with only peaceful intentions." Thermidor tried to play it friendly.

The alien seemed to do something of a smirk, speaking once more in a flanged voice. Whether or not that was an ailment or natural was anyone's guess. _"Well, that's a little hard…you see, you are in violation of Citadel law, the activation of a dormant Mass Relay. As such, your ship is to be powered down and allowed for boarding, or you will be fired upon. We hope you understand." _With that, the link was cut.

Everyone was silent for a few moments. Finally, someone spoke up.

"Thermidor…what should we do?"

Thermidor's face showed a hard expression betraying no emotion. However, his next sentence made their action clear.

"Prepare the Nexts."

* * *

Salir smirked as he stared out his viewport at the outnumbered ship after he cut the communication. Certainly, it was a daunting kilometer long, which did suggest it was a dreadnaught of some sort. He wasn't worried, though. According to his tech officer, the ship gave off no signs of element zero, nor seemed to have kinetic barriers of any kind. It was obvious that these 'humans' were simply some new upstarts that were blatantly disobeying the laws of the Citadel and fiddling with technology they did not understand. As such, they were to be taught a lesson. After this ship was…dealt with, a fleet would be sent through the relay these humans had come through to force the humans under the watchful eye of the Citadel Council. That way, they would not make any such foolish mistakes as they were clearly doing.

"Sir, I'm reading energy spikes all throughout the unknown vessel. It appears they are preparing weapons." Salir reported.

"Then it seems we must show these 'humans' the error of their ways. Order the fleet to prepare for combat." Salir ordered, receiving statements of affirmation in return.

Except for one.

"Sir!" Salir turned to the new voice. It belonged to that of a recently promoted turian, his new navigations officer. "Are you sure we should do this? This is an entirely new species! We're punishing them for a law they didn't even know existed!"

Salir frowned. "Are you questioning my orders?"

"But sir, they-"

"They, officer," Salir began, pointing at the ship outside the viewport, "are a new species that is foolishly playing with mass relays. We must show them such action will not be tolerated. Even if they were unaware, we must make it clear that we will not overlook such action regardless of the circumstance!" Salir narrowed his eyes. "Or…do you want to have another Rachni war?"

The officer looked down. "No, sir…"

Salir straightened back up in his command chair, eyes hard. His next decision would change the Citadel and all the species it governed forever. For better or for worse.

"Fire."

* * *

"Things didn't go so well?" Roy Saaland, pilot of My Bliss asked as Thermidor, Wynne and Malzel walked into the hangar which housed the NEXTs.

"I'm sure you can put two and two together, Roy." Thermidor answered, a stony expression still firmly upon his face.

"What a hassle. Alright…I guess it's time to go to work." Roy observed, walking over to the elevator that would allow him into his NEXT.

Wynne looked to Thermidor with an unreadable expression as Malzel made his way to his black NEXT, Opening. "Thermidor, are you sure about this? We could be getting ourselves into a conflict that could be far more destructive than that of the pre-space wars."

"We won't be firing first." Thermidor informed her as he stopped at the elevator that would take him to Otsdarva's cockpit. "But when they do, we'll be ready to return the favor. I won't allow humanity to be confined any longer." Thermidor turned away from Wynne, stepping onto the lift.

"When?" Wynn questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"They've made it clear, Wynne." Thermidor stated. "They're not looking for peace. After all the suffering humanity has been through, I won't let them go through it again. Even if I have to kill all of these bastards myself." The lift began to ascend.

"Never again…"

* * *

"Energy spikes detected all throughout the enemy fleet! Brace for impact!" An officer shouted as streaks of blue light flew toward the scout ship, impacting on the Kojima shields of the _Unveiled Truth_.

"Status?" Thermidor's temporary replacement asked.

"Kojima shields have been reduced to seventy-six percent! And that was with a full opening volley!" An officer shouted.

The temporary commander nodded. "Tell Thermidor and the other Next pilots they are cleared for launch. Prepare to fire on the enemy ships!"

Salir gaped at the enemy ship. Sure it was dreadnaught size, but how had it been able to withstand that sort of punishment!? Without shields, how could…

"Sir! It appears the enemy possesses some form of shield technology! Just before our shots made contact with the ship, a green wall of energy appeared and stopped the hits!" Salir grew slightly uneasy at that…in the end, it hardly mattered. They were still outnumbered, and would fall.

"I'm reading six massive energy spikes along the side of their ship along with multiple smaller spikes! They're returning fire, sir!" Another officer announced as, sure enough, six bright blasts of green energy separated from the ship accompanied by countless smaller beams of blue energy.

Space lit up.

Two of Salir's ships vanished in great balls of fire which were quickly snuffed out by the vacuum of space. Each of these ships had been hit by a trio of the six green lances of energy which, to Salir's horror, had simply ignored the kinetic shields, destroying the ships directly. Two more ships had been engulfed by the smaller blue beams that had simply bypassed the kinetic shielding just like their larger, more destructive counterparts and had been subsequently destroyed. Two more of Salir's fleet of ships had taken major damage from identical volleys of blue beams, and were now attempting to limp away from the combat zone.

A fifth of Salir's fleet had ceased to exist in only seconds. Salir suddenly began to feel the weight of his mistake.

That wasn't the end of the human's ship opening act, however.

"Sir! Four smaller vehicles have been launched from the enemy ship! They're headed for us!" An officer informed the fleet commander.

"All ships! Aim for the vehicles headed for our fleet!" Salir ordered. It didn't make sense to him why the enemy ship would send boarding craft this early in the engagement, as such vehicles could be easily picked off on approach.

How wrong he was. What was coming was far worse.

The Turian fleet fired upon the four moving objects.

None of the blasts hit their mark.

"What!? I thought I ordered you to destroy those-" Salir began before his ship shook as three more frigates in his fleet detonated, bringing their number to eleven ships, not including the two escaping the combat zone. Or rather, the two ships that had been escaping the combat zone.

While three of the four smaller vehicles had torn past the fleet, destroying one frigate each, the last of them had stopped, two massive cannons moving from its back to bear on the two escaping ships. The two weapons began to glow green for a moment before letting loose with twin beams of green energy. Smaller than those the human ship had fired but still possessing considerable size, one might wonder where the small craft was able to draw such power if one was not seeing the harbinger of their destruction.

The two fleeing ships were engulfed in bright balls of fire of their own.

NEXT: Opening – Pilot: Malzel.

The mechs did not stop there. A dull green mech dodged around the multiple blasts from the turian fleet as it closed in on another frigate. It stopped directly in front of the bridge of the ship, seemingly doing nothing. The only indication anything was happening was the absolutely massive energy spike originating from the smaller entity. Suddenly, a ball of green energy engulfed both the mech and the frigate. As the light receded, the mech was left untouched; the frigate, on the other hand…all that remained was dust and echoes.

NEXT: Reiterpallasch – Pilot: Wynne D. Fanchon.

The third mech, instead of bypassing the kinetic barriers like its brethren, silos on the back of the behemoth opened up, letting loose with countless missiles which proceeded to impact upon the kinetic shielding of the nearest turian ship. The kinetic shields were depleted in mere seconds, the vast majority of the missiles bound for the unfortunate ship rending it apart in ferocious explosions promising destruction. All that remained was mere scrap metal.

NEXT: My Bliss – Pilot: Roy Saaland.

The final mech made its move. A slim blue mech darted ahead of the others, firing a brilliant beam of green energy at one of the fleet's cruisers. The beam ignored the shields, causing a hole to be blown in the side of the ship. While not immediately crippling, what happened next would be.

The blue mech rammed the side of the cruiser as a lance of energy extended from the mech's wrist, vanishing almost as quickly as it appeared. The only difference was that the cruiser's kinetic shield had been completely drained. From there the mech went inside the cruiser through the hole it had created with that beam of green energy. Multiple explosions wracked the massive turian ship, until the blue mech suddenly exited the ship through the opposite side it had come in. As soon as the mech had left, the cruiser detonated from the intense damage.

NEXT: Otsdarva – Pilot: Maximilian Thermidor.

Salir gaped at the destruction of over half his fleet. Not even four minutes into the battle, most of his fleet had been decimated with no visible signs of damage done to the enemy. Not only that, but the enemy apparently had vehicles that were capable of destroying frigates all on their own.

"Sir! We've obtained a visual on the vehicles launched from the enemy ship!" What came on-screen daunted the turian commander. The four 'vehicles' could hardly be called that at all. Moreover, they represented mechanical bipedals of massive size, with fierce-looking weaponry held in their hands and mounted on their backs. It was also noticeable that each seemed personalized; possessing different parts and weaponry, even differing paint jobs.

Either way, they reminded Salir of Geth far too much for comfort.

"We have to warn the Hierarchy! I'm ordering a retreat! All ships fall back! I repeat all ships fall back!" Salir ordered which all under his command hastily attempted to escape. Fortunately for the Turians, the mechs didn't appear to be interested in pursuing them, and were darting back to the human ship. Two more of Salir's ships were lost, however, as the human ship let loose with an additional six blasts of green energy, tearing the turian ships apart.

What remained of the turian fleet escaped, through the nearest mass relay to warn the species of the Hierarchy of what they had experienced.

The Turians had angered a foe far greater than any they had seen before.

"Status!" Thermidor ordered as he walked back onto the bridge of the _Unveiled Truth_, flanked by both Wynne and Malzel.

"Systems are all reading green sir. No major damage, just some dents." An officer quickly responded, hands flying over a keyboard.

At those words Thermidor managed to relax, slumping into the command chair of the scout ship.

"It was a good thing you managed to draw their fire, sir. If you hadn't, we might all be dead right now. We ended the battle with only eight percent of the Kojima shield remaining." The officer finished his report, sounding relieved.

Thermidor smirked. "It's a good thing the enemy didn't know that. Take us home. I think humanity needs to know what happened here, today."

"Already on it, sir." The navigations officer responded, as the scout ship was enveloped in blue light by the mass relay before being shot across the galaxy.

* * *

"It's not too late to back out, you know." Malzel commented as both he and Thermidor walked down one of the many corridors of the massive behemoth of a battle station, the Whale.

"The public deserves to know. Everyone does." Thermidor responded.

Malzel shook his head. "There really is no arguing with you once you have your mind set on something, is there? Alright. Let's just hope, for all our sakes, we can handle it."

"The first contact battle already proved we can. What we need now, is humanity as a whole to band together to fight this threat." Thermidor stated, just before he walked onto a stage bathed in light, thousands of people immediately turning their heads to look at the leader of humanity. Thermidor had just walked into a massive amphitheater aboard the Whale, to deliver the message most all of humanity already knew. What he was going to announce, at this point, was simply a formality.

The room was filled with silence as Thermidor stepped up to the podium, flanked by the other eight Executives of ORCA, as well as other influential figures. It was here the much anticipated announcement would be made.

"Hello." Thermidor began, expression an unreadable mask. "I am here to tell you some shocking news. As of five o-clock yesterday, humanity made contact with an alien species." Murmurs broke out across the theater, before being silenced by an upraised hand from Thermidor. "The scout ship _Unveiled Truth_ with me as acting captain attempted to initiate peaceful contact." Thermidor paused for a moment, as his eyes swept over the assembled humans.

"They were not friendly."

Shouts broke out and the theater was filled with noise. Thermidor allowed this to continue for a few moments, before silencing the crowd with his own voice. "The alien ships fired upon us, as we retaliated in kind." Thermidor suddenly smirked. "Aliens were always seen as something to be feared, something that we would struggle against. Something that could not be defeated. That mind set was still true, until our one scout ship, with the help of our Nexts, obliterated over half of the alien fleet with no casualties on our end."

The crowd was shocked silent as a video played on the massive screen above Thermidor, replaying the battle between the two forces from the point of view of a camera drone. The recording stopped with the fleet fleeing from the single human ship, the image suddenly replaced with the face of a turian.

The face of the enemy.

"Here is the enemy we face! But this time the enemy is not our own. No, this time the enemy is some trigger-happy group of aliens that has the gall to think they stand a chance of defeating us! After all we have been through, all we have accomplished; they think they can order us! As if we will simply roll over and allow ourselves to be stepped on! Well, the Assault Cells did that for decades. I, for one, am not willing to go through all that again!"

Thermidor paused for a moment, looking over the crowd once more. "This time, it is us who will come out on top. This time, it is us who will show our power. So I propose a question…who will join me?"

Instantly the amphitheatre was filled with cheers and cries of affirmation from the many humans that had gathered to listen to the leader of humanity. It took some time, but eventually the crowd calmed, as Thermidor made the order everyone had been waiting for.

"Well then…it's time to go to war."

April 11th, 2176: On this day, humanity declares war as a result of the hostile actions committed during first contact by the race of aliens called the Turians.

And the galaxy would never be the same.

* * *

**A/N: The timeline in this story is actually paralleled with the timeline from the Mass Effect wikia, to an extent. I also put some stuff in here that hints at some Mass Effect characters. I'm curious if anyone noticed…anyway, if you liked this and would like me to continue it, please drop a review! If this gets popular enough, I have ideas for it all the way through Mass Effect 3.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from either Armored Core or Mass Effect.**

**A/N: Before anything else, I'm going to answer a couple of questions I got in the reviews.**

**Lord Anime: The reason the 314 Relay was not in that location was simply because it had never been put there. For the sake of the story I can't exactly tell you why, just know there was never a reason to put one in that area. Only recently was the need seen, hence why it is there now. I'll leave it up to others to guess just how that new relay got there until it is revealed. Additionally, there will be additional tech added to NEXTs. It's not as if they didn't advance during all these years. Some elements will be taken from Armored Core V, but it just doesn't coincide with the events in that game.**

**CelticReaper: In this chapter you will be getting a better look at the scope of humanity's technology, and if you want the specifics on tech, be sure to check out a little something at the bottom of the chapter.**

**Guest: To whoever asked if humanity will unite as one, I'm not exactly sure what you mean about that. If you mean they are all working together right now, then yes.**

**A/N: Well, now that that's taken care of, you fellows seemed to like the first chapter so I thought I would go ahead and post the second to see if it would still get positive reactions, hopefully even more. That would be nice. And thanks for all the reviews! They really motivated me to post this next chapter as quickly as I did! Also, at the end of this chapter there is something I think a lot of people might enjoy, so be sure to take a peek at what it is! So without further ado, here's chapter two of **_**Powers of the Galaxy**_**!**

* * *

The Turian Hierarchy was in an uproar.

A fleet, sent on what was supposed to be nothing more than a routine patrol mission comes back with over half the fleet destroyed? Not only that, but the Captain explains it was due to a new species? That wasn't even including the reports of massive bipedal mechs that while much smaller than any ships, were the machines responsible for most of the ships that were destroyed.

It was no surprise that the Hierarchy decided to put all planets in the vicinity of the mass relay that lead to this new species on high alert. The largest mobilization of fleets the Turians had ever seen was amassing, the only event comparable to it being that of the Rachni wars. Yet, despite all this most others were in the dark; the Citadel and other species still did not know about this new species, but was certainly baffled and a bit worried about the mobilization the Turians started. Other species were getting antsy; the Volus had already put what small amount of ships they had into a defense fleet. It took all manner of political maneuvering for Sparatus to keep the public in the dark about it.

The Turian Hierarchy had decided to keep the event under wraps. They were certain their fleets were larger, stronger; that their fleets were capable of handling the situation. Thusly, Sparatus did his best to assure the Council that it was nothing to be worried about. That didn't stop the Salarians from sending STG spy ships, or the Asari attempting to poke their noses into their business every chance they got. Such was the case of the STG ship carefully tiptoeing its way over the military Turian planet of Selarikin, which currently had a massive fleet of five hundred Turian ships of various classes moving into defensive positions.

"Why can't they just mind their own business?" A turian on the bridge of the _Fabled Spear _complained. The _Fabled Spear _was a Turian dreadnaught, also the ship that had been determined to lead the fleet of five hundred ships. The commander of the vessel, Jeron Selarus, was a decorated and respected fleet commander that had proved his mettle time and time again, despite how bleak the situation. It was for this reason he was put in charge of the fleet. He could think on his feet quickly, and that was needed against a species they knew next to nothing about.

"We can't tell them they can't be here." Jeron reminded his communications officer. But he shared the sentiment. If these…humans, were as powerful as the first engagement suggested things could get ugly, fast. But this was different. This was their turf; they had the home field advantage. They had a large fleet the humans could not hope to match, with powerful orbital defense cannons at their backs on the surface of the planet. They held all the cards. Even if they sent multiples of those dreadnaughts the initial confrontation had revealed to them, Jeron was confident they could handle the situation.

"Well I still-" His communications commander stopped talking and listened to something on his console.

There were a few moments of tense silence until Jeron decided to break it. "What is it?" He asked. If it was anything, it was a report from the advance fleet sent to calculate the enemies' strength.

"Sir…it was a transmission from the advance fleet." The officer elaborated. Jeron nodded.

"What did they have to say? Why haven't they returned yet?" Jeron pressed, a cold feeling settling into the pit of his stomach. The advance fleet had orders to return immediately upon assessing the enemy strength, to join the main fleet in the coming battle. It didn't help that his communications officer was pale as a ghost.

"Listen to this sir." The officer said, broadcasting the transmission to the bridge.

There was a bit of static before a voice came over the com. _"-up yet? Good. This is a transmission from the frigate Diver." _Jeron was surprised at that. The _Diver _was a regular frigate on escort for the accompanying cruiser in command. Why was it sending a transmission instead of the cruiser? _"Argh! Damn it, get to the relay!" _The voice shouted as an explosion was heard. _"The enemy is powerful…we don't know how many ships they have. They've destroyed-" _The transmission was silent for a few moments. _"Evasive maneuvers, NOW!" _The captain of the _Diver_ yelled before a massive boom was heard and the transmission was cut. As if on cue, the mass relay that would lead the humans to Selarikin began to activate.

"Prepare all ships for combat!" Jeron ordered as the bridge became a flurry of activity, sirens throughout the ship alerting the crew to the impending battle.

Then a ship emerged from the relay. And another. And another. As more ships emerged, Jeron only became more and more worried. All of them were a kilometer long. The size of a dreadnaught. Until another ship emerged, armed to the teeth to the point one could actually see some of what looked like massive cannons. The ship was five kilometers long. Four more emerged from the relay after the first. More and more kept on coming, as everyone on the bridge of the _Fabled Spear _looked on in shock. Even larger ships began to appear. What looked to be some form of ground siege ship ranged at nine kilometers. A spindly looking ship was at seven. Different variants kept on appearing until Jeron lost count. There were three ships in particular that stood out to him. Each looked subtly different, but each was approximately a full thirteen kilometers in length. A fleet of seven hundred massive ships stared down his own fleet of five hundred.

Jeron was stunned. But his fleet needed a leader, not a coward. Jeron closed his eyes and collected himself for a moment. Opening them again, he gave the order. "Fire at will!"

Lances of light cut through the darkness of space toward the human fleet. Strangely, the spindly ships moved to the front of the formation as massive wings extended from them. The wings fired lances of blue energy at the incoming barrage, letting loose blue missiles immediately after. The Turian's barrage was intercepted by many of the lances of blue energy and missiles, but still a great deal of firepower made it through. The rounds slammed into the human fleet, green colored shields flared into existence in front of the ships affected, six of the kilometer long ships' shields failed, and five bloomed into a bright explosion.

Jeron gaped. The entire opening barrage of his fleet had only destroyed five of the opposing seven hundred invading ships. While that in itself was staggering, nothing could prepare him for what came next.

One of the thirteen kilometer ships opened up the entire front quarter of its length as a bright green energy began building in the gap. It was the most massive energy spike Jeron had ever seen. Various smaller energy spikes appeared from the ships, each detailing power equal to or more than that of the one kilometer ship the Turians had first encountered. Then, the fleet of human ships unleashed their power.

The last thing Jeron saw was a bright flash of green light before the _Fabled Spear _was wiped from existence.

Many other ships in the Turian fleet suffered the same fate, enveloped by massive blasts of energy or crippled under fire from smaller lances of light. But the human fleet was not finished yet. The five kilometer ships had not participated in the opening barrage, and as soon as it had ended vanished from the human fleet in bursts of green light. Suddenly, they were wreaking havoc inside of the Turian's formation with close ranged weapons fire and what appeared to be massive blades of energy. Before the Turian ships could get their bearings and retaliate against the ships in their formation, the human ships had vanished again only to appear somewhere else in the formation.

Throughout all of the chaos, three smaller bipedal vehicles burned through the line of Turian ships over the planet, some destroying ships on their way. It wasn't long before the vehicles were breaking into the atmosphere of the planet.

All of this had happened in only moments of the start of the battle.

* * *

"If we put a battalion here, we can defend the barracks more effectively." A turian general suggested, one of the four Turians in charge of the surface defense of the planet. "We're going to need them if the enemy makes it this far."

"Sounds good." Another agreed, "If that's the case, then I suggest-" The Turian was interrupted as a massive tremor shook the building, as groaning metal and explosions were heard outside, eventually reducing to the sound of burning fire. The Turians rose from their seats, immediately moving to the window that overlooked the city. What they saw was unbelievable.

Before them, the burning husk that was the Turian Dreadnaught _Fabled Spear _rested among the city in pieces. Facing them was a large part of the ship's hull; specifically, the portion which had its name stenciled on in white letters. For a moment, the Turian generals were stunned, unable to comprehend the sight before them. Instead, they were forced to as more debris rained on the city, some large enough to actually cause damage. Much more pressing were the unknown machines that followed the wreckages into the city. Massive bipedal machines landed in the city, each different from the last. They immediately sprung into action, ripping through the Turian forces like a hot knife through butter. While the Turians tried to fight back, their attacks were either dodged in impressive displays of the mechs' speed or simply bounced off of a green shield each possessed. That was when a thirteen kilometer ship descended through the clouds above, a voice issuing forth from unseen loudspeakers.

"_Turians… You are responsible for attacking humans, voluntarily, when we did nothing to provoke such a response. We are now responding in kind. This city will burn as a retaliation to your hostility. Goodbye." _The voice finished as four boxy, red vehicles were dropped from the ship to the ground, each flattening the buildings unfortunate enough to be below them. One such building was the Turian's command center. The entirety of the leadership on, or above the planet, was now dead.

* * *

Thermidor was reclining in his command chair onboard the thirteen kilometer dreadnaught _Enforcer _as the last of the Turian fleet was being mopped up. In the end, they hadn't done nearly as much damage to the fleet as Thermidor assumed. Their largest ship had been only one kilometer, and had been dealt with before the battle had really begun thanks to the _Enforcer_'s main kojima cannon. They had only lost about twelve ships. Regardless, there was one more battle he had to pay attention to.

"Give me a status report on the engagement planet side." Thermidor ordered, Malzel speaking up to answer.

"The _Tsunami _broke into the planets atmosphere after our initial bombardment without any trouble, and dropped off four Cabracan-class AF's, as well as six Spirit-class AF's. Accompanying those is one squad of NEXTs. From the reports thus far, it would seem there is no real trouble so far. The Cabracan AFs released their drones and Spirits are destroying any heavy ordnance. The NEXTs are destroying anything else." Malzel couldn't help but smirk at the results.

Thermidor raised an eyebrow, "Which squad did we send in anyway?"

"That would be… Extirpate Squad, sir." Malzel allowed himself a small smile.

Thermidor raised his eyebrows upon hearing that. "I thought we just wanted to teach them a lesson…"

Malzel glared at the Turian world through the _Enforcer_'s viewport, "Thermidor, these aliens attacked us without cause, for no better reason than they looked down on us. For creatures like this, only prompt, and severe action will make them learn."

Thermidor was now glaring at the planet as well, "Right as always, Malzel. I said it once, and I stand by it; I won't let humanity be subjugated again… even if I have to kill every one of these bastards myself."

* * *

"_HAHA! Is that the best you can do!? You won't even put a scratch on my NEXT!"_ One of the three members of Extirpate Squad shouted through his comm. as he fired his cannon at a platoon of Turian tanks. A large explosion issued forth in bright green as tanks either vanished in the attack or were simply tossed away like pebbles in a tornado.

"_Y'know, if I didn't know you any better, I would think you're compensating for something with that cannon of yours!" _A feminine voice issued from another one of the mechs as her NEXT fired missiles that crashed into the fighters the aliens had managed to deploy thus far, rendering them flaming hunks of metal.

Another group of tanks vanished in a green explosion, _"Hmph! I simply understand that this is the best way to fight! Unlike you, with your dainty and cowardly way of fighting from a distance…"_

"_Is that a crack at my being a girl!?" _The woman snapped back.

"_Takafumi, May, calm down you two." _The third member of the squad spoke up, surprisingly calm with the way his NEXT was weaving through the city, slicing through various targets with his trusty MOONLIGHT Energy Blades. _"We have a mission to complete here."_

"_Oh come on, Shepard, these guys haven't even scratched my Rai-Den's primal armor! I could do this in my sleep!" _Takafumi Arisawa argued, as if to prove his point simply moving his black, tank-type mech forward and flattening a number of Turian forces.

"_Well…I guess I actually can't argue with that…" _Shepard, pilot of the Mako mumbled, sparing a glance at his primal armor, still proudly resting at max charge. _To be honest, I expected something more than, well…this."_

"_I heard one of the Cabracans landed on their command post. Pretty sad, huh?" _May Greenfield spoke again, changing the position of her NEXT, Merrygate, to get a better view of the enemy forces.

Laughter filled the transmission before Takafumi spoke, _"If by sad you mean hilarious! I suppose it explains why the rest of their forces are running about like headless chickens though."_

"_Speaking of enemy forces, seems like they're surrendering." _Shepard spoke once more, as all three NEXTs stopped moving and looked around. Any remaining Turian forces were either hiding in buildings, or on the streets, guns on the ground and hands in the air. Then a transmission came through, sounding like a panicked voice.

"_Please! We surrender! We surrender! Just stop attacking us!" _The voice was definitely alien, and apparently signaled the end of the admittedly short battle. If that wasn't enough to confirm it, Thermidor contacted them next.

"_First of all, great job you three. Gave them a good scare, I think." _No one missed the small chuckle that came from the leader of ORCA, _"But it's not quite over yet. I want you three to meet me here." _A waypoint appeared near one of the few tall buildings that remained standing, _"That's where the highest ranking Turian on this planet, currently alive, anyway, is. We're going to…convince him, to give us the information we want. I think having three of our best Lynxs would expedite the process."_

"_You got it! We'll be there in no time!" _May spoke cheerfully.

"_Good. I'll be waiting, and we'll have a pickup come in for your NEXTs. Oh, also…try not to flatten any aliens on your way here. They did surrender, after all." _With that, the transmission was cut. The three NEXTs stood in place for a moment, before jumping across the tops of buildings to get to the waypoint, so they wouldn't flatten anyone below. If any Turians were hiding on the roofs… well, that was just unfortunate.

* * *

"They're here, sir." A soldier spoke to Thermidor, the ORCA leader turning to greet the three NEXT pilots. John Shepard, Takafumi Arisawa, and May Greenfield. These three made up one of, if not the best, squad ORCA had at its disposal. John Shepard was young, but was still an exemplary pilot. He was a rather slim man, but clearly well-built. One could say that the other man, Takafumi Arisawa, was Shepard's opposite. He was a large man rippling with muscle to the point someone might mistake the president of Arisawa Heavy Industries to be a bodybuilder. Yet both Shepard and Takafumi were the best of friends. The third and only female in their squad, May, was a rather petite girl with an hourglass figure, coupled with long, flowing, and strangely enough, green hair. The girl seemed to be permanently cheerful, bubbling with positivity. All three were great friends, and that was probably part of the reason they worked so well together. Each were still in their Lynx suits, which led Thermidor to wonder if they really had to be skin-tight. May drew a few glances due to that alone. Each suit matched the color of each respective Lynx's NEXT; Takafumi wore a completely black suit, May sported a green and light green one, while Shepard wore a white and red suit.

"Welcome you three. Prompt as always, good to see. And Shepard, it's been a while!" Thermidor smiled at the leader of the squad. It was no secret that the two were good friends, especially after what had happened at Earth in the past. The two had been through thick and thin together.

"That it has, Thermidor. Good to see you too." Shepard greeted, as the two shook hands, "Too bad it can't be under better circumstances."

Thermidor shrugged, "Actually, it could be much worse. The battle in space only saw thirteen losses. I'm not sure what happened down here just yet, but I'm guessing at most we lost some drones. By the time infantry landed, the Turians were already surrendering."

The three seemed rather surprised at that, before Takafumi decided to speak up, "I guess we shouldn't be that shocked. If they were as good up there as they were down here, it really is expected that they couldn't do much." Shepard and May seemed to consider this, trading glances before nodding slowly.

"Makes sense." May commented.

"So Thermidor," Shepard turned back to the man, "I hear there's some information that needs gathering."

Thermidor smirked, "That's right. Like I said before, I want you three to be there in case we need a heavy hand." Thermidor glanced at Takafumi when he said that. "We've got him locked up in a room, soldiers are making sure he doesn't try anything funny." The four began walking down a hallway, before Thermidor turned to a door, the soldier nodding once before stepping to the side, opening the door for the group.

"Split-jaw's inside. We brought inside some gear that will…loosen his tongue if he's tight-lipped, sir." The soldier spoke. Thermidor nodded once before stepping inside, Extirpate Squad right behind him. They were met with a Turian seated at a chrome table, bound to the chair he occupied. The Turian sported red face paint and seemed rather nervous. Thermidor didn't miss the surprise on the Turian's face when he glanced at Takafumi's intimidating form.

"I assume you understand me?" Thermidor asked, sitting down across from the Turian.

"Y-yes." The Turian stuttered. Obviously he was nervous after seeing just what ORCA military was capable of.

Thermidor smiled, "Good. Then I'm sure you are aware that, seeing as how you have surrendered, there are going to be quite a few questions I have, all of which, you are going to answer. Do I make myself clear?"

The Turian hesitated before answering, "Um…Yes."

"Alright then. Keep in mind if I do not hear what I want, it will be very unpleasant for you. First," Thermidor pulled out a piece of paper from his uniform, "Is there anything here we can access more information? Such as a history book? A library? Anything of that nature?"

"W-well…there is the codex. But-"

"But what?" Thermidor frowned, glaring at the turian.

"We have it installed in our Omni-tools! On our arm!" The turian answered quickly, attempting to placate the person in front of him. "If you untie me, I could-"

"May, can you handle it?" Thermidor interrupted, the green haired girl walking to the other side of the table before bending down to look at the Turian's arm.

"It looks pretty simple. It must be in this disk tray thingy…" She mumbled as she fiddled with the Turian's arm armor. "There! Is this it?" She held the small square up to the Turian, the alien nodding in affirmation. Seeing this, May slid the small device across the table to Thermidor. Retrieving the device, Thermidor pulled a laptop from the floor beside him, before connecting a series of chords to the small device and pressing a few keys on the laptop. Then he sat back, waiting.

It was quiet for some time, the Turian seeming to grow more and more nervous. Finally, the laptop mad a small noise, Thermidor looking back to the screen. He pressed more keys before he seemed to smirk. "Open a channel to the _Enforcer_."

A voice came from the laptop, _"Thermidor? Is that you? What did you find?" _

"Our friendly neighborhood Turian was quite willing, it would seem. He gave us something called a codex, full of star charts and information. Not only that, but, it also has the location of their home planet from what I've seen. Palaven." Thermidor smiled as he saw the Turian's horror stricken face. "Send for reinforcements. We're going to siege every Turian planet on the way to Palaven, and then take over the home planet itself, if need be. Immediately."

Thermidor could imagine the smile Malzel no doubt had, _"Affirmative, sir. I will begin the operation immediately." _The transmission was then cut off.

"W-wait! You're not going to…!" The Turian began before Thermidor silenced him with a fierce glare.

"I can and I will. What did you think was going to happen? You attacked our ship with no just cause. That is a declaration of war where I come from. And the best way to win a war? Strike at the heart." With that Thermidor left the room, stopping only to tell the soldiers to keep the Turian detained in the room. Soon the Turian was left to his thoughts, the four humans that had interrogated him long gone. All the Turian could do was wonder if he would ever see his home planet again.

* * *

-Onboard the _Enforcer_, war room-

"So you're saying there are more aliens out there? How many are we talking?" Takafumi asked as he, Shepard, May, Malzel and Thermidor all scanned over the information the codex held.

"A surprising many," Malzel observed, putting a hand to his chin, "Aside from Turians, there are more. But most concerning are the Asari and Salarians. It appears these species are the leading ones, including the Turians we are fighting."

"Do you think they'll get involved?" Shepard asked, eyes still glued to his data pad.

Malzel shook his head, "Honestly? I'm not sure. The politics and policies this 'council' seems to employ are very confusing. I can't make heads or tails of it."

Thermidor nodded at Malzel's assessment. "Alright. Well one thing we know for sure is that the Turians are our enemy. We won't attack any of these other species…unless, they ask for it as the Turians did. How long until we reach the next planet?"

"Estimated arrival time to the Turian-controlled world of Racaliph is about five hours, sir. More than enough to prep the fleet for another battle. Additionally, I don't think Selarikin had enough time to even send a message explaining their circumstances." Malzel answered.

"But they probably are suspicious, though. If the planet suddenly stopped all communication I know I would be." May observed as she was leaning back in her chair, stretching her arms.

Thermidor nodded, "That's true. At least we can hope they are too proud to consider that we destroyed all of them before they had a chance to send a message." Thermidor then stood up, everyone else taking that as a que to stand as well. "Alright everyone, prepare what you need to. This war isn't over yet."

* * *

-The Citadel, Council Chambers-

"Humans?" The Salarian councilor raised an eyebrow, "These humans are what has had you on edge all this time?"

Sparatus frowned. It had been three days since his patrol had been beaten back by the humans. He had only been able to hide it for so long, and they had finally found out. At this point, Sparatus had no choice but to explain to the rest of the council just what this new species was. "Yes, they are. It's nothing to worry about; they simply got the better of one of my patrols. They got lucky." He growled out.

"What do you mean by 'lucky'?" Valern pressed, eyeing Sparatus uncertainly.

Sparing a glance at Tevos, he realized the Asari councilor, just like the Salarian one, had no intention of changing the subject if her own inquisitive gaze was any indication. Sighing, he specified, "They happened to have a dreadnaught that had more…unique, attributes. It managed to drive back the patrol."

"I find it hard to believe twenty ships lost to one ship, even if it was a dreadnaught. Perhaps there is something you are not telling us, Sparatus?" Valern pressed again, and Sparatus struggled to keep from voicing any scathing remarks and make the two even more suspicious. "Maybe it has something to do with those unique attributes?"

"Fine! They had some sort of smaller, bipedal machines that were capable of destroying my ships all on their own! There was nothing we could do to stop them…" Sparatus slumped slightly as he raised a hand to his forehead, inwardly fuming. He would have much rather had it under wraps, but there was no way that could happen now. The two would press even harder now, especially as this involved a new species.

"Councilors!"

Sparatus breathed a sigh of relief at the sudden interruption. This would at the very least distract the councilors, whatever it was. However, when Sparatus looked up he no longer felt that way. It was a Salarian, clearly from the STG at that, judging by his uniform. And with so much going on with these 'humans' Sparatus had to wonder whether or not the slightly panicked look on the STG member's face had something to do with them.

Of course, seeing that it was an STG Valern was the first to speak up, "Ah! Yes, is there something you have found?" Sparatus glared suspiciously at Valern. The Salarian seemed a little too eager about this Salarian's entrance, which made the Turian councilor even more convinced it had something to do with the humans.

"Yes! Councilors, you need to see this right away!" The Salarian quickly fumbled with his Omni-tool, before each councilor received a video data packet. Valern looked surprised by the STG member's curtness, but nonetheless played the video. The look on his face urged Sparatus and Tevos to do the same.

"What? That's Racaliph! What happened to Selarikin!?" Sparatus shouted, clearly enraged as he watched a video of a human fleet attacking the Turian one over the planet. It didn't make any sense! Selarikin would have been attacked before Racaliph, so what had happened? With a growing feeling of dread, the Turian councilor realized why that was. As the video continued to play, it was obvious who was winning the battle. The humans were displaying weaponry and tactics that were completely outclassing anything the Turians threw at them. Most daunting were two thirteen kilometer ships that prowled about the battlefield, both taking punishment that would have left any Council ship a burning wreckage. Yet the green shield continued to block any hit and showed no signs of breaking as some smaller ships' shields had. A few human ships fell in the chaos, but Turian ships were dropping like flies. The video eventually came to a close as the last of the Turian ships were falling, while large nine kilometer ships swarmed over the surface of Racaliph like ants to an anthill. The video then cut as the ship filming retreated when some human ships noticed the STG ship and began bearing on its position.

"Was that… the humans?" Tevos managed to speak, still in shock from what she had just seen.

"Sparatus. Was it?" Valern fixed the Turian councilor with a glare, even as Sparatus himself was staring ahead, clearly unable to properly digest this. Nonetheless, he spoke.

"Yes…that was them…" He mumbled.

"It would appear your original assumption that the human's dreadnaught was a kilometer long, was inaccurate. It appears that was but a frigate. Sparatus… just what have you unleashed upon us?" Valern asked, still staring at the image of the daunting human dreadnaught.

"There is more, esteemed councilors." The STG Salarian spoke once more. Valern motioned for him to continue, "From the information we have gathered, this was just one attack of three that were executed at the same time. We still do not know what happened to Selarikin, but we do know this. By now, the human fleet is most likely on their way to Palaven."

Sparatus shot his head up to stare at the Salarian, "What do you mean they are heading for Palaven? How do you know!?"

"Their pattern of movement suggests that the reason they attacked the planets they did was so that they would not be flanked when they attack again. They are now in control of strategic mass relays, and my guess is if you access any of them those monsters of ships are waiting. I would argue that they are only hours away from Palaven at the rate they have been moving." The Salarian specified. Sparatus slumped once more, head in his hands. If those ships were headed for Palaven…

Tevos waved the Salarian away before turning to talk to the distraught Turian, "Sparatus, get a hold of yourself. Maybe if we just go talk to them, they can be reasoned with."

Sparatus rounded on her, fire in his eyes, "TALK to them!? Tevos, you saw what they did to Racaliph! They are no better than the Krogan!"

Valern spoke up at that, "Well, Sparatus, it is your choice. Try and make peace, or," He pointed to the image of the human dreadnaught, "allow that to attack Palaven, your home world. For your sake, you need to try and make peace with them."

No sound was made for a long time.

Finally, Sparatus spoke. "…All right. Let's go."

* * *

"So this is it?" Thermidor asked as he once again sat in the command chair of the _Enforcer_. This would be the third planet the _Enforcer _personally saw battle over, and if all went well, it would be one of, if not the last planet the _Enforcer _would do battle at. It was clear to him the Turians did not stand a chance. Entire fleets had been victim to humanity's own, with very little lost on their side. However, the fleet over Palaven was the largest the Turians had mustered thus far. It ranged at upwards of one thousand ships, but it made no difference. The Human fleets had all gathered into one after conquering several other Turian planets, leaving them with one thousand two hundred ships on their side. The real advantage was the six dreadnaughts in the fleet, as well as at least forty NEXTs.

"This is Palaven, sir. It appears to be larger than Earth." Malzel observed as the two stared down at the planet. Currently the human fleet was lying just outside of the enemy fleet's range, prepared to move forward and strike at any moment.

"Have they decided to give up yet?" Thermidor inquired. He had hoped having such a massive fleet over the Turian's home world would coax them into giving in. So far, that didn't appear to be the case.

"No sir. The enemy fleet has made no attempt to contact us." Malzel answered.

Thermidor sighed, "I had hoped it wouldn't have come to this…"

"Some things are unavoidable, sir."

"How right you are, old friend." Thermidor stared at the enemy fleet a moment longer, before standing from his chair. "All ships, mo-"

"Wait sir!"

Thermidor fumbled for a moment from the sudden interruption before composing himself, turning to the communication officer onboard the _Enforcer_. "Yes? What is it?" Honestly, Thermidor hoped it was a transmission from the Turians. He would do what was necessary, but destroying a species home world would leave a bad aftertaste. Humans knew all too well what it was like to see your world in flames.

"A transmission, sir! It's coming from a ship that just jumped in-system!" The officer responded.

Thermidor nodded, sitting back in his chair. "Alright. Put it on-screen." At his words, the view port on the _Enforcer_'s bridge morphed to show an alien that looked surprisingly human, if you ignored the blue skin and head tentacles. If Thermidor remembered correctly, the name for them was Asari.

"_Oh, thank the goddess you answered! We were worried you would just shoot us…" _The woman spoke, smiling.

Thermidor was slightly peeved that they thought he would be so unmerciful, but didn't let it show. "Excuse me, but may I ask who I'm speaking to? And why you are contacting us in the middle of a warzone?"

The Asari looked surprised for a moment before regaining her composure, _"Oh of course! I am Daleria, liaison for the Citadel Council. I come here with the offer of peace!" _

The Citadel Council. If Thermidor was correct, that was the main power over the whole of all the known species, aside from the Humans. "Do you speak for the Turians as well?" Thermidor asked, eyeing the Turian fleet.

"_Yes! They want peace as well." _The Asari confirmed. Bitterly, Thermidor thought that was the case only because they currently had the Turian home world at gunpoint. But whatever works, he supposed. _"If you could agree to a ceasefire for now and come to the Citadel, we could have a more… formal, meeting there. The councilors wish to speak with you about this misunderstanding."_

'_Misunderstanding my ass_!_'_ Thermidor thought to himself. Regardless, he once again did not let his inner feelings show. Peace was better than war. "Very well. But I will not go without some reassurance."

The Asari's smile faltered a moment before returning to normal. _"Oh? What do you mean by that?"_

Thermidor crossed his arms, "First, I am leaving the majority of my fleet here should you be attempting to deceive us. Second, another fleet will be accompanying me to this meeting of yours. Lastly, I want my own armed guards by my side. None of that 'we'll take your weapons and return them to you later' nonsense."

"_Is that all?" _The Asari seemed pleased, _"I'm certain that can be arranged. When can we expect you?"_

"We will be there as soon as possible. Just be ready for us. It won't take long." Thermidor answered.

"_Excellent! We look forward to it!" _The transmission was then cut, the view port once again full of the Turian fleet. Thermidor sighed.

"Sir, what now?" Malzel asked.

"Well, time to play politician. So you're coming with me. I need to get a few others too. Oh, and you know the saying, 'speak softly but carry a big stick'?" Thermidor asked.

"I am familiar with it." Malzel confirmed.

"Well, I always agreed with that. We're bringing the Whale. Might as well impress them." Thermidor declared. The pair then walked off the bridge to their NEXT's hangars. It was time to see just what this 'council' was.

* * *

**A/N: IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ! At the end of each chapter I will put a 'codex' information dump of any technology that arises that I believe some people may be unfamiliar with. This includes individual NEXTs to Spatial AFs all the way to Kojima theory tech. This will be the first of these 'codex' information dumps, and will actually have quite a few entries. I suggest you read it so you can better understand how the technology humans have works. More information will be put at the end of each chapter as it shows up. And I'm not sure if it is just me, but I find that stuff rather interesting. Enjoy!**

* * *

CODEX – Entry No.1 Subject: HUMANS

**Kojima Technology: **Since the war of Liberation, humanity has advanced in the field of Kojima control and the pollution it creates. For example, humans were met with a problem; if they went to war on an unpolluted world, their most effective weapon, NEXTs, would be rendered more harmful than beneficial. This was solved through theoretical sciences in which a counter-agent was found that could destroy Kojima particles, as even at a molecular level there are things that feed on one another. Additionally, a NEXT is now equipped with a 'pocket' in their frame which stores any excess Kojima Particles released from primal armor until it can be safely released. In Layman's terms, humanity has advanced technology dealing with radiation and other such environmental concerns that cleaning it is not overtly difficult. The reason Earth has not recovered yet is simply because it had gone so long exposed to radiation with no protection. Earth, however, is on the way to recovery and is theorized to be completely clean surprisingly soon.

**Kojima Boost Engine: **The Kojima Boost Engine is utilized by all ships currently in service, or at the least any human-controlled ships. Due to the fact it was combined and built with the Sol Dios Cannon theory of independent movement, ships have no need of conventional thrusters, and thusly fuel demand, was drastically reduced. The engine allows for faster than light travel, and doubles as the power source for everything else on the ship. Depending on the size of the ship, multiple engines may be needed. The dreadnaught-class Arms Fort _Enforcer _requires eleven Kojima Boost Engines, for example.

**Kojima PA (Primal Armor) Generator: **This device is used by all military technology large enough to use it. Both NEXTs and AFs use it, the only difference being the size of the generator. Civilian ships are not entitled to the generators; although one can obtain a permit for it should they feel their ship needs the protection. The generator is rather simple, as it does exactly what its name implies; nothing else. Technology on the Answerer was used to make the theory, and then build it large scale. In the end, it was not that difficult. The shields are capable of stopping both energy and slug projectiles.

**Kojima Phase Cannon: **This is a weapon equipped to almost all military ships in service. The only ships that do not possess it are the five kilometer Destroyer-class AFs and the seven kilometer Interceptor-class AFs. The Kojima Phase Cannon is a large Kojima cannon that is built for brute force, although has a longer recharge for its power. Theoretically, it would take several of these cannons to drop the shields on a frigate-class AF. These cannons are the weakest of Kojima cannon issued to any ship.

**Kojima Spread Cannon: **There is only one class of ship that is able to utilize this weapon effectively. That is the Destroyer-class of AFs. The Kojima Spread Cannon was built strictly for knife range combat, which is what the Destroyers were built for. Utilizing their quick boost allows them to get close to their target and let loose with this destructive weapon, causing major damage up close yet spreading the damage on as large a radius as possible.

**Kojima Disintegration Cannon: **This ranks above the power scale of the Phase cannon, and was merely created as a way for larger ships to garner more power. It is usable on Carrier-class AFs, Cruiser-class AFs, Dreadnaught-class AFs, and Fortress-class AFs. It is also built for brute force, but has a longer recharge than that of the Phase Cannon. One shot from this cannon can drop a Frigate-class AF's shields and possibly do damage, but that would vary.

**Kojima Obliteration Cannon: **This ranks far above the power scale of either the Phase or Disintegration Cannons. Built to deal even more damage, it is only usable by Dreadnaught-class and Fortress-class AFs. Just like the other two it is built specifically to deal damage, but has a longer recharge rate then either of its predecessors. Two shots from this are capable of dropping a Carrier-class AF's shields, but a third would be required to deal crippling damage.

**Kojima TERRAFORM Cannon: **There are only two ships, thus far, that are capable of housing this weapon. One such ship is the _Enforcer_, which possesses one. The other is the _Whale_, which is equipped with three. The recharge is longer than any Kojima cannon in existence, second only to the SUPER NOVA Cannon. This cannon has thus far destroyed anything it has been tested against, so it is unknown what its limits are. It is the third most destructive weapon humans possess.

**Kojima SUPER NOVA Cannon: **Only one of these cannons currently exists. It was built specifically for the _Whale_, and thus far is unknown as to what its limits are. Theoretically, it could be capable of rupturing a small moon that would cause tremors powerful enough to destroy the entity. The recharge rate of this cannon is also longer than any other Kojima Cannon in existence. It is the second most destructive weapon humans possess.

**Kojima Assault Armor Bomb: **This weapon ranks as the most destructive weapon in the human arsenal. Issued to Carrier-class, Cruiser-class, Dreadnaught-class, and Fortress-class AFs, it is a last resort. If something needs to be destroyed at all costs, or information that cannot be taken is at risk, orders are to arm and detonate this bomb. This bomb is restricted to space combat only, unless specifically otherwise stated by either Executive-rank official or up.

**NEXT – Mako: **Piloted by Lynx: John Shepard – This NEXT is equipped with Rayleonard inspired armor from before the War of Liberation met its end, and is very light weight. Debatably, it is also the fastest NEXT currently deployed, second only to Cube's NEXT, Fragile. Mako comes equipped with dual plasma blades, the latest MOONLIGHT model. Its two back weapons are also identical, twin Kojima NEXT grade cannons. The shoulder units are side boosters, allowing for improved dodging. The Mako utilizes hovering recon drones that follow the Mako in combat. Two NEXT handguns are stored in the left and right bays of the Mako, should its current weapons be disabled. Internal shoulder unit is a counter-missile system, to eliminate the possibility of being bombarded at range. Mako is capable of assault armor.

**NEXT – Rai-Den: **Piloted by Lynx: Takafumi Arisawa – This NEXT is equipped with Arisawa Heavy Industries parts, seeing as Takafumi is the president, was able to make the parts exactly what he wanted. It is a tank type, and therefore has low mobility. However, it is equipped with a powerful Kojima PA Generator, creating an amazing defense. Additionally, Rai-Den is equipped with automated sentry turrets, capable of firing either plasma rounds or missiles, depending on the situation. This is used in conjunction with kinetic-propelled Kojima grenades, capable of doling out massive damage. The sentry turrets keep enemies pinned, allowing Rai-Den to have a better chance of hitting the target. Both back slots are taken up by his massive Kojima Phase cannon, usually reserved for AFs. Few ground based enemies can stand a hit from it. Rai-Den uses recon drones that are fired to a distant area. His two side units are built to give him the ability to actually launch a ball of Kojima energy, a long-range assault armor. Rai-Den arguably has the greatest defense of all NEXTs.

**NEXT – Merrygate: **Piloted by Lynx: May Greenfield – This NEXT is a light weight model, and its pilot has changed it quite a bit from what it was in the pre-space wars. Previously a middle weight, May has changed her NEXT to be capable of dodging much more effectively at the cost of less armor, doubly important as she is a mid-to-long range fighter. This NEXT sports one pinpoint Laser sniper and one Kojima Laser sniper as primary weapons. On the back, the Merrygate has identical long-range vertical launch missiles, equipped with Kojima explosive attributes. Shoulder units are equipped with advanced computer systems, drastically increasing accuracy and how quickly a target can be sighted. The side units are two small plasma shotguns, used to stall an opponent should they get too close and allow the Merrygate to get more distance. The Merrygate is capable of assault armor.

**Frigate-class Spatial Arms Fort: **The first military space vehicle created by humans. Relatively small when compared to other ships, this class of ship makes up the majority of the humans' fleets. It comes equipped with sixty plasma laser cannons, as well as six Kojima Phase Cannons. It also has one hundred and eight missile silos, housing Kojima Disruption missiles. This class of ship is one kilometer long.

**Destroyer-class Spatial Arms Fort: **This Spatial Arms fort is the second smallest ship in the human military. It was built with the NEXT's quick boost in mind, yielding a very unique way of fighting. Not unlike the Stigro sea-based Arms Fort, the Destroyer-class closes in on the enemy with quick boost and attacks at knife-fight range using either Kojima Spread Cannons or its massive energy blades. It is equipped with seventy Kojima Spread Cannons and twenty areas on its hull where energy blades can activate. It does not have any missile silos, but des have point-defense laser cannons to defend against enemy fire. This class of ship is five kilometers long.

**Interceptor-class Spatial Arms Fort: **This is the only ship of all Spatial Arms Forts to lack Kojima weaponry, only possessing the Kojima Boost Engine, and the Kojima PA Generator. That is because, as its name implies, its purpose is to intercept enemy fire all the way to boarding craft. To accomplish this, the ship is built with a center mass, covered by large wings that extend out from the middle, creating a massive circular shield. This shield, equipped with the strongest armor and multiple PA Generators, also has numerous point defense laser cannons and numerous interception-missile silos. This ship also comes equipped with the best in cybernetic warfare systems, as well as a few dumb AI. As a result, this ship, which was intended to only intercept attacks, is also the ideal information gathering device. These ships are several kilometers long.

**Carrier-class Spatial Arms Fort: **This ship is exactly what it says it is; a carrier. It is designed with the idea of invasion, and dropping as many forces as possible onto a planet in as little time as possible. Due to its size, however, it still sports some of the most powerful weaponry and PA Generators. It has twenty Kojima Phase Cannons, and five Kojima Disintegration Cannons. Its true power is in what it carries; each Carrier-class Arms Fort is capable of dropping up to six-thousand infantry units, ten Spirit-class Land-based Arms Forts, seven Cabracan-class Land-based Arms Forts, two Eclipse-class Air-based Arms Forts, three Sol Dios Land Crab-class Land-based Arms Forts, eight Jet-class Land-based Arms Forts, and three Stigro-class Sea-based Arms Forts. These ships top off at nine kilometers long.

**Cruiser-class Spatial Arms Fort: **This ship represents the true muscle of the humans. Aside from the dreadnaughts, which are few and far between, these ships are numerous and pack the most punch out of any other ship. Despite being smaller than a Carrier-class AF, their lack of anything for a ground siege gives them much more room for offensive weaponry. Each of these ships has six hundred missile silos with Kojima Disruption missiles, and five hundred plasma laser cannons. It also possesses sixty Kojima Phase Cannons and fifteen Kojima Disintegration Cannons. This class of ship tips the scale at eight kilometers.

**Dreadnaught-class Spatial Arms Fort: **Second only to the whale in the human fleets, dreadnaughts are only headed by fleet commanders. They possess their own siege equipment should they need to invade, though still not as extensive as a carrier. What their advantage is lies in offensive and defensive ability. Dreadnaughts possess one thousand and six hundred missile silos of Kojima disruption missiles, coupled with one thousand plasma laser cannons. These ships have one hundred and fifty Kojima Phase Cannons, ninety Kojima Disintegration Cannons, and ten Kojima Obliteration Cannons. One dreadnaught, the _Enforcer_, is equipped with a Kojima TERRAFORM Cannon as it is the newest model; plans are made to equip the other existing dreadnaughts with at least one of these terrifying weapons as well. These ships are thirteen kilometers long.

**Fortress-class Spatial Arms Fort: **There is only one of these ships in existence. The _Whale_, built to be the center of all military actions the humans take. Its power is unparalleled, far surpassing any ship built before it. This ship has more siege equipment than even a Carrier, and far more firepower than any dreadnaught-class. This ship has five thousand missile silos of Kojima Disruption missiles, and four thousand and five hundred plasma laser cannons. It also comes equipped with one thousand Kojima Phase Cannons, four hundred Kojima Disintegration Cannons, two hundred Kojima Obliteration Cannons, three Kojima TERRAFORM Cannons, and one Kojima SUPER NOVA Cannon. It is also equipped with the best cybernetic warfare systems created by humans, and is the only Spatial Arms Fort to possess a smart AI. This behemoth is the largest structure ever created by humans, at thirty-three kilometers long.

* * *

**A/N: There is the first codex entry for the fanfiction! Did you guys like having the ability to see all the technicals about the technology the humans have? I thought it would be nice if you all understood it more. By the way, if there is any technical knowledge you would like to know, tell me in a review or PM and I might write a codex entry about it! Please review, it motivates me to keep writing this! Until next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own nothing from either Armored Core or Mass Effect.**

**A/N: First, I'm going to be answering reviews. It appears some people are mostly worried about humanity's power.**

**CelticReaper****: Yes, there will be more codex info. It will be released at the end of each chapter, either when new technology appears or there is something I feel needs explaining. Or if someone suggests a codex entry that I find interesting enough to pen in. Such as human-alien relations. That's not a bad thing to put in, but wouldn't appear until a later chapter in which humans have established themselves. As far as humans joining them… well, just read the chapter.**

**Shintouyo****: Now, first let me say I understand your concerns, and allow me to explain my reasoning. Firstly, if you want the technicals on humanity's construction of ships, check the codex at the bottom of the chapter. As to the Warhammer 40K argument… I never understood that. If they have whole planets dedicated to building so many ships, I'm honestly appalled they don't have death stars running around. And at that point, I can only assume the workforce must be mostly human to have such slow production in the construction of their ships. However, before the humans made it to space, they had already created a land-based Arms fort that exceeded the destroyer-class Arms fort in size. All they had to do was build space stations , staffed by numerous NEXT-based construction automatons, to mine asteroids around Saturn including its moons, and build their ships for them. Humanity created a very quick construction rate, as building massive constructs had already been perfected. They simply boosted that ability with more space to work in. Lastly, I believe Saturn is perfectly capable of supporting such a force with its asteroids and moons. Assuming they have such materials, there would be more than enough to build three thousand and two hundred eighty one ships. (Humanity's current military ship force) The idea there are not enough resources is just ridiculous to me when I look at Saturn's rings and numerous moons. If you want more details, check the codex.**

**Valiant Naberius****:** **I know what you mean. It took me months of replaying the game (Mostly because I just loved playing the game combat mechanics) to truly understand what was happening in the story. So, I'm glad that it was my story that actually taught you more about the game. Makes me feel like I'm doing well in getting the facts straight.**

**Lord Anime****: The amount of NEXTs is largely because many were in the Sol system having their NEXTs overviewed for the possible war that they anticipated may happen with the other aliens, not just the Turians. Additionally, the amount of NEXTs are still limited, as one needs to have a special trait to pilot one, as stated in the wikia if you'd like to take a look. Maybe I'll add an entry for Lynxs specifically in the codex. Now, as for the true size of a carrier, you were onto something. In addition to being nine kilometers in length, it is rather boxy and wider. But, not quite to the extent you suggested. The true space saver is new technology with planet Arms Forts. Think of it like mass effect guns. You know how they fold into themselves to become smaller? The Arms Forts employ the same technique. Take the Spirit-class for example, (And you were correct, it is a newer version of the Spirit of Motherwill) with its massive size normally, it would not fit. However, when its cannons, control towers, wings, and legs all fold and press themselves to the main body to be smaller, fitting them is easy for the Carrier-class. When the Arms fort is launched/dropped from the Carrier, the ship is at a suitable height to allow the AF to unfold itself just before it hits the ground. I hope that clears up that concern. And the great wall… you'll have to wait quite a long time before it is mentioned again, to be honest. It was used as a basis for building Spatial Arms Forts, but couldn't be stored in a Carrier-class easily. I have plans for it, but you'll have to wait quite a long time before it appears. Right now, I only hope this will be popular enough to continue and get to that point. As for ships using Assault Armor, think about it. If they did, they're primal armor would be completely drained and have to recharge, leaving them completely vulnerable. Additionally, it is relatively close range. Other allied ships could be damaged as well. In the end, it was deemed to have no use on larger AFs. However, you may see it on a ship in the future. Just wait.**

**Guest 1****: I was waiting for someone to say the humans would be overpowered. Frankly, that is simply not true. To the other alien species, yes, but that would be the case regardless. Before the humans were even in space they were building vehicles larger than the Citadel's largest dreadnaught. As for the Reapers… no. I did the math before writing this fic. The reapers won the war against the Protheans at 48,000 BCE, tacking on the 700 years the Protheans fought after that, 47,300 BCE. The next cycle would start then, when the Reapers leave. Add 2,200 CE to that, and you get 49,500 years that the cycle in which humans and the other species lived. Since they actually prolonged their cycle, it is most likely longer than those before it. But, let's assume that is the average for how long a species lasts against the Reapers. The first cycle starts at 1,000,000,000 BCE according to the mass effect timeline. So, divide 1,000,000,000 by 49,500, the length of a cycle and at least one reaper is made from each cycle. You get about 20,408. So, the Reaper army has at least 20,408 Reapers. That is quite a bit more than humanity, which in this story has a fleet of 3,281 military ships total currently. Not to mention that is 20,408 Reapers ****at least****, assuming they make one Reaper per cycle. It is my understanding a Reaper is made for each species in a cycle, so you can quadruple that number, probably even more than that. Additionally, one Reaper is still larger than a Frigate-class humanity ship, which makes up the majority of the Humanity fleet. And nothing has been able to stand up to a Reaper laser. That thing cleaves through anything in the game, and I can assure you the only thing able to protect against it in this fanfiction is a Kojima shield, and not for long at that. Sure, Kojima cannons are still going to be able to do some serious damage to the Reapers, but that is only one advantage. To me, it seems like the Reapers still have the advantage with all that taken into account. Believe it or not, it is my belief the Reapers took it easy on the humans in mass effect canon. No matter how many times you gain some small victory, the Reapers absolutely believe you will fail. It makes me think they still had a lot hidden up their mechanical sleeves, and I intend for them to bring out those secrets in this fanfiction. The Reapers are very adaptable too; you can be sure they'll be using that to cope with as many advantages humans have as possible and attempt to nullify many. That's not even getting into indoctrination, which I have big plans for. I hope, all of this considered, you will agree the humans are not going to be overpowered when compared to the Reapers. If anything, I believe I am leveling the playing field a bit. As for your second concern, as I stated to another reviewer, Saturn's belt would have plenty. It seems to me many people underestimate just how big things in space are, and there are more than enough asteroids and moons there to support a Spatial fleet of that size. Heck, on the radiated war-torn Earth they were creating numerous NEXTs of huge size and AFs of even bigger size. If they could manage that, then having access to numerous moons and a huge belt of resources without any war to worry about, it would be child's play for them to build ships that big in that amount of time. It seems to be humanity's forte in Armored Core to build massive machines of death. It would be no different in space.**

**Guest 2****: Please read my response to Guest 1, I think that just about covers your concern, more or less.**

**Guest 3****: Thank you, I'm glad you understand and agree with the stance I am taking in Humanity's power. I only hope I can keep you interested in this!**

**Dunesaber****: While you will have to wait and see how the Humans deal with some of the other species, you are correct in that I am ensuring Humanity is strong, with more than enough to back up that statement. Such is the way of those who build massive apocalypse-inducing mechs.**

**TANNtrum****: Human relations with aliens will be detailed in this chapter. Please let me know what you think of the way I had the Humans handle it, I think you will be rather pleased.**

**ZeroAcception****: Lynx pilots are going to be a large presence just as they were in the games, and I was thinking I would just use names from the various games to cover my bases as far as pilots and NEXTs go.**

**Lord Zaron****: Let me assure you, I agree with what you said and I plan to keep Humanity just the way they are. I only hope everyone will stick with me through it and see why I made things the way they are when the time comes. I have plans, hopefully ones everyone will enjoy.**

**Guest 4****: Just let me say, that comment about WH40K made me bust a gut. I don't know why I thought it was so funny, but I did. And maybe it would be cruel to the Turians, but when has being cruel ever factored into the decisions the people in the AC games made? I like to think I am being true to their nature. And you are right… being sorry for the Batarians is never possible, is it?**

**Ghost88****: I am very happy to hear you like the direction I'm taking here! I knew some people would be skeptical about Humanity's strength, but it is nice to see some who like what I'm doing anyway. And I caught that pun you made at the end there. I laughed at that, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. Either way, I hope I can continue to keep your interest, starting with this chapter!**

**P.S: If you are going to post as a guest, try to put in some name, if you could? Refering to people as Guest 1, 2, etc., is a bit confusing...**

* * *

**A/N: Whew! Sorry about those long-winded responses, but I knew people would bring up those concerns at one point or another and I was just waiting to explain my reasoning. Very valid concerns, and so they had to be answered in a detailed and thorough manner. Anyway, thank you for the reviews, (Especially those who brought up such big issues, I've been waiting for it) its exactly what got me to write this next chapter. I sincerely hope you will all review again, and be sure to tell me any of your concerns in a review or PM. Without further delay, here is the third chapter! The much anticipated meeting between humans and the Council! DUN DUN DUN!**

* * *

"So they accepted?" Tevos inquired to the liaison they had sent to the human fleet over Palavan.

"Yes! Though they said they were bringing a fleet here. Also the one over Palavan will not move until this whole thing is settled… one way or the other. Additionally, they refuse to meet with you unarmed." Daleria explained as she stood before the council.

"Not very trusting, are they?" Valern observed.

"Well, we did fire the first shot during our first encounter with them." Tevos said as she sent Sparatus a frown. "Maybe if that hadn't happened…"

Sparatus growled, "I'll admit that my men may have acted irrationally to a new species… but what did you expect? They're just like the Krogan! Ready to shoot at the slightest misunderstanding!"

Tevos's frown deepened, "You would have done the same had you been attacked unannounced!" She accused.

Sparatus' mandibles flared in anger but he couldn't completely refute her statement.

Valern rolled his eyes at Tevos and Sparatus' arguing. Honestly, the compromising Asari and militaristic Turian rarely saw eye-to-eye on any one issue. Ignoring the noise, Valern turned to look out the giant window that overlooked the entirety of the Citadel. The Citadel… no matter how many times Valern saw it, it still amazed him how the Protheans had managed to create such a structure. It truly was an engineering marvel. There was no other species capable of building such a structure. Not even these 'humans.'

Valern absently noted the mass relay activating. Passing it off as just a simple civilian ship arriving like so many others, he was about to turn away; that was, until a ship quite clearly not created by any council species came through. Soon many more like it emerged. Valern noted that the humans had apparently arrived for the meeting. He could respect their curtness in arriving under such short notice, and was about to turn to tell the other two councilors it was time to assemble the other species' representatives to gather in the chamber. At least he would have, if he had not been frozen in place from the surprise of one ship that suddenly appeared from the relay.

The ship was absolutely massive. It dwarfed the many other ships around it; ships that Valern knew were already enormous by themselves. It was clear to see it was armed to the teeth. What surprised him was that this behemoth rivaled the Citadel in size. How could any one species create such a thing? Thankfully, Salarians worked quickly. Overcoming the shock, Valern turned to his fellow councilors, wondering what would be the best way to break the news of the large ship arriving to them. He found that he did not have to, as both Tevos and Sparatus were both staring, mouths agape, at the new arrival. Sighing, Valern resigned himself to having to prepare the meeting himself, watching with distaste at Tevos and Sparatus starting another argument on how such a large ship was created without an ounce of element zero. Such was the life of a councilor.

* * *

"Check your gear! We'll be landing in thirty seconds!" The pilot of the Overwatch-type drop ship announced as he brought the small vehicle closer to one the Citadel's many docking clamps.

"This place is surprisingly big. Guess we're not the only ones out there with huge machines, huh?" Roy Salaand commented as he stared out the window of the drop ship.

Wynne shrugged, looking rather indifferent towards the whole situation as she checked her Avenger plasma rifle again. "They just inherited it. I'm not too impressed. Though I wouldn't mind shaking the hand, tentacle, or whatever of whoever built this place."

Thermidor chuckled as he watched the two, "Really, Wynne, only you would be so unmoved at the prospect of being one of the first humans to meet extra-terrestrials face to face."

"Our guys on the captured planets already had that privilege. The only difference here is that we aren't pointing our guns at each other anymore." Wynne replied curtly before she then went back to fiddling with her gun, making sure it was properly reassembled before the group disembarked. Currently, Thermidor, Malzel, Wynne, and Roy were the diplomatic team. The rest of the consisted of thirty soldiers accompanying them were simply backup in case anything… unexpected, occurred. Also joining them were some humans dressed in civilian clothing. They, of course, were not unarmed. They possessed hidden weapons and had orders to wander about the Citadel and gather information as long as the peace talks lasted.

An echoing noise issued throughout the drop ship, signaling that the docking clamps had made contact with the drop ship. "All clear! You've got the green light. They're also telling me they've got someone waiting to escort you to the Council." The pilot informed the group just as the airtight doors unsealed themselves and opened up, letting those inside catch their first glimpse of the Citadel up close. The soldiers all stepped out first, giving the 'all clear' signal shortly after, prompting the 'civilians' and Thermidor's hand-picked team to follow them out. Thermidor scanned the large hangar they were in immediately, taking note mentally of anything that stood out. Firstly, just as the pilot had stated, a team of aliens was awaiting them at the end of the dock. It appeared that the Asari Daleria was heading the group, but he couldn't be sure if that was the case considering the limited amount of Asari he had seen. For all he knew the only difference between Asari might be those strange head tentacles somehow.

As his admittedly large group began to walk to the end of the dock, opting to leave ten soldiers behind to guard the ship, Thermidor noticed with some amusement that even their drop ship exceeded the size of the alien's drop ships. More concerning than that however, was the amount of armed personnel at the dock. The leader of ORCA was no fool and knew that on an average day there was simply no way this many guards were needed. However, this day was anything but average. It didn't take a genius to know they were there due to their arrival, apparently fearing the possibility he and his group were hostile.

It was actually rather flattering, in a way.

Finally reaching the procession of aliens waiting for them, Thermidor stepped to the front, holding out a hand to shake as a gesture of goodwill. Daleria apparently got the hint, accepting his handshake with grace and a smile. As she did, Thermidor took the opportunity to take inventory of her group. It looked like a mix of a few Asari and Salarians, but was predominantly Turians. Thermidor guessed that was due to the fact the Turians were the militaristic arm of the Citadel species, and were better suited for combat in case they tried to do anything. Not that they would. Even if things didn't go well, Thermidor would leave with a fake smile and then give voice to his displeasure once he was safely back on the _Whale_.

Despite this, Thermidor smiled, "I appreciate the welcome. I'm here for the meeting with the Council, as I'm sure you are aware."

"That's right." Daleria confirmed, "Just follow me. Your entourage may accompany you as well. And, as per your request, the Council has agreed to allow you to keep your weapons."

Thermidor nodded, noting the way she had talked. From her pattern of speech, it suggested the Council was allowing them to keep their weapons, as if they were the ones calling the shots. Did they not remember they had Palaven at gunpoint? Nonetheless, Thermidor spoke once more, "Also, I have brought some civilians along with me. We thought it might be a good idea as a sort of trial project to see how the Citadel operates from such a standpoint. That said, I have to ask if they have permission to tour the Citadel?"

Daleria smiled at him again as she answered, "Of course! I assume you have a way to contact them once the meeting is over?"

"I do." Thermidor confirmed as he waved at the soldiers disguised as civilians away, all of them immediately dispersing in different directions to cover as much ground as possible. "How long will it take to arrive at the council?"

"Not too long, though I would say about ten minutes. While we are close, it is a large space station." Daleria seemed proud of that fact.

"We know the feeling." Thermidor commented. He had to force himself not to smile as he saw Daleria's gaze drift to the _Whale_ before turning back to him, motioning him to follow her as the journey to the Council began.

* * *

Saturn. Second to only Jupiter in size, it was one of the most important planets the humans possessed, despite being uninhabitable. No, what made Saturn so important were the rings and moons that surrounded it. Here, humans had found minerals critical to the power they now had. It was, in essence, humanity's war machine.

Various construction ships prowled about the belt, many attached to asteroids quickly digging out minerals using automatons that made it so easy. Other ships were just outside the belt, where one could see the shape of one of humanity's terrifying Spatial AFs being constructed. The most astonishing thing about this was the fact humans were not very involved, at least personally, in the construction of these machines. Instead, tens of thousands of Excavators were responsible for it, all controlled remotely by dumb AI residing in the many space stations that dotted the space around Saturn. If there was one thing humanity had learned from the wars on Earth, it was how to build machines of war quickly and efficiently. Now, with an entire planet dedicated to construction, it was faster than ever. And every day more Excavators were built, and thusly ships were steadily being built faster as time wore on.

Of course, due to this productivity, combined with the desire humans had for more room, many stations around Saturn were dedicated to civilian life. Some humans, a surprising many, preferred living on these stations. In addition, many who served in the military would stop at these places, having come to Saturn for repairs on ships they served on or retrofitting. Such was the case of one John Shepard, currently residing on _Distant Comet _Station, a civilian space station known for being an excellent place to relax and unwind, and thusly popular for military after many days of hard work aboard AFs. Accompanying the NEXT pilot were both Takafumi and May, all waiting for their NEXTs to have their various parts checked. While they didn't have to often, it was advised that NEXT parts were checked every six months in case there were any hidden problems. NEXTs were complicated machines, and had to be taken care of accordingly.

That, and if you accidently damaged your NEXT, the price tag was rather hefty.

"So, how do you think the meeting will go?" May asked her two NEXT partners, as they all walked into a restaurant to sate their appetites. It was almost dinnertime, and as the three had been walking around the space station for the better part of the day, an early dinner was in order.

"Hard to say." Shepard commented as they sat down at a table, "We still don't know how the other species act, and have very limited experience with the Turians. Let's hope they remember that it's their planet at risk."

"Hm…" May seemed to consider this, even while a waitress came by and took the Lynx's orders, promising their food would be ready soon. When she had gone, May began speaking again, "The public seems pretty happy."

"What did you expect? It's been nothing but victories for us." Takafumi pointed out.

May rolled her eyes, "I know, I know, but still. I guess I just expected something… different. It's almost like nothings changed at all." She admitted.

Shepard smiled, "There's nothing wrong with that. People suffered so much from the pre-space wars… I think it's nice to see them so carefree. It shows they have trust in us to take care of it."

"How touching." Takafumi laughed.

"Shut up, Takafumi." Shepard said, though still smiling.

"Hey! Look who it is!"

The trio sitting at the table turned to see two other Lynx pilots walking in their direction, stopping at their table. Shepard greeted the two, "Hello to you too, Risaia, Jan, what brings you two this way?"

Risaia answered for the two, "Same as you guys. We're having our NEXTs checked out, and just happened to notice you three. Thought we'd give a quick 'hello' before we went on our way."

"Say, what do you guys think about the meeting between Thermidor and the aliens?" May asked, curious about the two pilots' opinions.

"Doesn't matter if we come to an understanding or peace talks fall through. Given what we've seen so far, I'm not too worried about war. Unless those Turian things have been hiding bigger and better guns somewhere, they shouldn't put up too much of a fight."

"That's just one species, Jan." Risaia pointed out, "I can't imagine they're all like that. And stop it with that talk of war. We've had enough of that to last several lifetimes. Wouldn't it be best if we could work together with the aliens?"

Jan rolled his eyes, looking at the woman beside him with disbelief, "That would be nice, but I'm trying to be realistic here. You saw how those Turian assholes acted. They follow a shoot first ask questions later policy, and now they're paying for it. Seriously, did you know that they only fired at us because we apparently broke a law of theirs by using that Mass Relay? A law we had no way of knowing, might I add, and had no obligation to follow as we weren't a part of their government… or whatever it is they are."

"Well, maybe some of the other species think that way too." Risaia suggested.

Shepard raised an eyebrow at that, "What do you mean?"

Risaia smiled, happy someone was considering her point of view, "Well, this is some coalition of multiple species, right? From what the codex we've been issued says, there are three species that rule over the others. If I was one of those species, I would feel like that's pretty unfair. Maybe they like what we're doing, standing up to the council when they didn't have the power to. I don't know… I was just thinking maybe some of those species would join us."

"Sympathizers, then? Maybe…" Shepard mumbled, seeming to agree.

Jan frowned, "Yeah, they'll just betray the government they've followed for who knows how long to join up with the new species that suddenly popped up. Give me a break." The man looked like he was about to say more, but was interrupted when a ringing noise was heard, Risaia and Jan looking down at their watches, the source of the noise. "Well looks like our NEXTs are ready. We'd better go."

Risaia nodded in agreement, "Yeah, you're right. See you guys around." With that the duo walked out of the restaurant, their place beside the table replaced by a waitress bringing the trio their food.

As soon as she had left, Takafumi spoke, "So, what do you guys think?"

"Well, I think it would be great if we could all get along. Shepard?" May smiled.

He seemed to ponder the question a moment before answering. "I agree, it would be best if we could have peace with these aliens. Given a choice, I'd obviously choose the path that led to less fighting and saving the most lives." He took a bite of his food, swallowed, and spoke once more. "But, it doesn't really matter what I want. It's up to Thermidor and his team. We'll just have to wait and see what the result is."

And hopefully it would end without humanity entering another war.

* * *

It had, just like Daleria had said, taken approximately ten minutes for them to reach the Council chambers as their docking location hadn't been far from the Council chambers. Most of the trip had been spent in an elevator though.

It was amazing these species were so diverse and advanced and yet the elevators were so slow.

Thermidor and his party stepped into the Council chamber and took a moment to look around. It was rather awe-inspiring; the room was designed in such a way to make it so. In every way, the light shifted just right, all with a massive window overlooking the space station. Thermidor realized, it was all to make the three councilors that much more impressive, as they were gathered just before the window, Thermidor and his group coming to a stop at a precipice below them. Thermidor noticed a small chasm separated them, a garden of sorts at the bottom. All around them other alien officials were gathered in balconies along the walls, looking at them with varying expressions; the short, suited aliens seemed to be mumbling to one another, sparing a glance at the humans every now and again. It was wholly impossible to ascertain what the floating jellyfish aliens were thinking, and it was almost just as difficult to tell what the bulky aliens that vaguely resembled gorillas thought. Asari and Salarian alike seemed to be staring at them with suspicion; Turians appeared to prefer outright glaring.

It was the Asari councilor that finally broke the silence. "Humans! I am pleased to see that you have agreed to make peace."

"That depends on what happens here, actually." Thermidor said, subtly reminding the aliens where they stood. They couldn't appear submissive or weak, and this council needed to understand that it was still on thin ice.

"Human, might I ask what you think you're doing, bringing that here?" Thermidor eyed the Turian councilor, face impassive. The Turian did not share his subtlety, however, and it was clear to see that he was not a fan.

Thermidor had a good idea what he was referring to, but decided to play ignorance. There was only one thirty three kilometer ship in the human forces… but the Council did not need to know that. "I'm sorry? To just what are you referring to?"

Sparatus would have none of it, "You know exactly what I am referring to! That ship!" He shouted, pointing to the _Whale_.

Thermidor waved a hand dismissively, "I hardly see the problem. That is just a Fortress-class ship. It is only natural one would be present during an event such as this." Thermidor offered a slightly peeved look, "Of course, I was under the impression we would be talking about more than just our ships."

Tevos shot Sparatus a glare before addressing the humans again, "I apologize for my colleague's behavior. I am Tevos, the Asari councilor. To my left is Valern, the Salarian councilor. To my right is Sparatus, the Turian councilor."

Thermidor nodded, "I am Thermidor, leader of ORCA, organization which governs all of humanity. This is my partner, Malzel." Thrmidor motioned to the man to his left, "We are the ones who will be here to engage in peace talks. I only hope we can reach some form of agreement that will be mutually beneficial for all parties involved."

Tevos nodded, "As do we."

"My partner handles most political concerns. He will be the one to arrange the agreement." Thermidor nodded to Malzel, the man stepping forward.

Malzel wasted no time, "To begin, we would like to know why we were attacked, unprovoked, during first contact."

Sparatus spoke up at that, "You were breaking Citadel law!"

"Of which we had no idea existed, and therefore could not have known. I'm sorry, but you have to understand that we don't find that to be an adequate reason for instigating an attack." Malzel countered.

Sparatus was seething, but Valern spoke up before the situation could escalate. "Please allow me to explain the actions of the Turians you encountered. Many years ago a similar situation occurred, in which a mass relay was activated and a new species, the Rachni, was encountered. This species was immediately hostile, and spawned the Rachni wars which ended with their defeat when we uplifted the Krogan. This spawned another conflict in which the Krogan rebelled and attempted to take over other worlds. Eventually they too, were defeated. The actions of the Turians were an attempt, albeit a poor one, to ensure that never happened again."

Malzel was silent for a few moments, "…I suppose I can understand that. Even so, it was too rash of an action."

"That it was." Tevos agreed, shooting Sparatus a small glare while the Turian remained silent. "Please understand. No matter how much time has passed since those events, scars of war are still left behind. There is always the fear of the past repeating themselves and sometimes drastic measures must be taken to avoid such events. Granted, that doesn't excuse the attack that you were greeted with and for that we apologize."

"No, no… we understand more than you might think, councilor. "Malzel said, a wistful smile making its way to his lips. "Humanity bears the scars of their own wars, which is why we hope to avoid war as well. I maintain that the Turians' response to our presence was reckless, but I understand the reason for your attack.

The councilors nodded in response to Malzel's words, Tevos and Valern smiling at finding the human so diplomatic and agreeable while Sparatus still seemed to be scowling. Or at least from the way he stood, that's what Thermidor could infer. It was hard to tell since those plates that made up the Turian's face made it hard to discern an expression. Still, Thermidor also smiled thinly as he listened to Malzel talk with the aliens. Things seem to be going well so far, and if Malzel kept it up they could find a peaceful resolution to this conflict.

"_No fighting." _Thermidor thought hopefully. _"It seems that's what these councilors earnestly want. That's good…"_

"One thing, human." Valern spoke up once more, glancing at a datapad he held for a moment. "There is the issue of the worlds you humans commandeered during your attack."

"An issue?" Malzel asked, noting the way the alien spoke disapprovingly.

"We expect them to be returned to the Turians." Valern stated abruptly.

"Of course." Malzel nodded. "We'll have all colonized worlds returned to you."

"Not just the colonized worlds. All of them." Sparatus added balefully. "Those are Turian worlds, not yours. It simply won't do for you to have them."

Thermidor shifted uneasily. He didn't like the direction this conversation was heading…

"With all due respect, councilor, those worlds were won fairly in war conditions. It is our right as victors to do with captured planets as we please." Malzel stated, his tone level and diplomatic. "We are more than willing to return the civilian world, but most of the worlds occupied were military outposts. We took care to avoid as many civilian casualties as possible given the circumstances, but we were hoping to keep the border worlds we encountered just outside Turian space."

"For what reason do you need these worlds, human?" Valern asked, cutting in before Sparatus could speak again.

"We only have two planets in our system capable of supporting life, not counting the few moons we've managed to terraform and place Eco-Domes on. The first planets we captured we prioritized because they were empty and were capable of supporting human life. Three planets, councilors. Is it not too much to ask that we keep those?"

"We would be willing to discuss it after other matters are settled." Tevos said, shooting Sparatus a look. The Turians mandibles flared for a moment, but he stayed silent.

Thermidor watched the proceedings and found himself growing uncomfortable. There was something about the way the councilors spoke, the way they held themselves… something was really starting to put him on edge.

"Listen to these guys." Wynne muttered bitterly from behind Thermidor. "I think they forgot the position they're in. They have no right to make demands of us."

Thermidor frowned. That was it. That's what was bugging him. The aliens were talking down to them and making demands despite the situation. You wouldn't be able to guess that with how they composed themselves and how they seemingly agreed with Malzel's words, but that discussion about the planets and the way they had requested their planets to be returned, almost like it was a given.

"_Willing to discuss it after other matters are settled, huh?" _Thermidor frowned. Still, he wouldn't get involved. He trusted Malzel to see this through to a peaceful resolution.

…Hopefully.

"There is also the issue of your ships." Tevos suddenly spoke.

"Our ships?" Malzel asked, surprised by the Asari's statement. "I wasn't aware there was an issue councilor. We brought our ships here as an escort and we've given our words once matters are settled here we'll remove our ships from Turian space and retreat from Palaven. I don't see what that has to do with-"

"It's not about that, human." Valern interrupted, holding up a hand. "They are far above regulation size."

"…I'm sorry. Regulation size?" Malzel asked incredulously. He turned back and found Thermidor and other members of their party had an expression to match his own.

"All species must follow the rules of the Citadel, and no ships can be the size of that ridiculous ship." Sparatus motioned to the _Whale_. Malzel frowned when he noticed that the Turian's voice actually sounded smug. "You will have to decommission that and any ships over one kilometer in size. Also, you may not possess that many kilometer long ships, maybe only several…"

"I'm sorry, but we will not be decommissioning our ships." Malzel cut it.

"Excuse me?" Sparatus paused and glared at the human diplomat.

"Councilor, what you are asking is for us to throw away our entire fleet. Years of work and labor and you want us to just throw it all away? I'm sorry, but that isn't something we are willing to do." Malzel said. "Besides, that isn't the issue here. We're here to negotiate peace and agree to end hostilities between us, are we not?"

"We are." Tevos assured the man. "However, as a species of the Citadel, you must-"

"We are not a Citadel species!"

Tevos fell silent as Thermidor made himself heard, his words echoing throughout the Citadel chambers. Humanity's leader stepped forward, posture strong and commanding, eyes full of fire and without an ounce of fear in them. Conviction. Determination. Leadership. The man expressed all these qualities with the way he stood and spoke.

This was a leader that would make sure his species would not bend its knee to another.

"We are not a Citadel species." Thermidor repeated, tone solemn as he glanced at each member of the council. "You seem to misunderstand that fact."

"Thermidor, what are you doing…!" Malzel hissed quietly, frantic as he tried to calm his friend.

"What I have to do." Thermidor replied, just as quietly.

Humanity would not be pushed around. He would show the aliens that.

"But if you are to be a Citadel species-" Valern tried to begin, before Thermidor cut him off.

"Again, that is what you seem to misunderstand, Councilors. For whatever reason, you're under the impression that we came here in order to join you." Thermidor said loudly so that everyone could hear him. "Let me tell you now that we have no intention of joining your group. Humanity has no wish to serve under you."

"We did not mean to imply that." Tevos interjected. "All we want is for-"

"All we want? Aren't you trying to make this all about what you want, Councilor?" Thermidor accused, barely able to keep the anger from his voice. "You are in no position to make demands of us. If anything, we should be the ones demanding."

"Human!" Sparatus thundered. "You have no right!"

"Don't we? We still have our guns pointed at your world, Turian. One word from me and those guns fire." Thermidor replied to the seething councilor. "However, despite the disrespect shown to us, I'm willing to let things go. I believe that your wish to maintain peace was genuine, and if given I choice I will always choose the path that leads to less bloodshed."

"Please, why don't we all just-" Tevos tried to salvage the situation, but Thermidor wouldn't let her get a word in.

"My ships will withdraw from Turian space and the civilian worlds and military outposts we captured, but we are keeping the planets on the border space that were empty. Those planets are now under ORCA control and leadership. We'll also release the prisoners captured during the battles and return them to you."

"This is an outrage!" Sparatus shouted.

"Is it?" Thermidor returned, glaring at the councilor. "Humanity will follow its own rules, not yours. We will leave your systems alone, but any free planet or system is fair game. There is far too much that can be gained in new systems to ignore."

"Human… do you intend to go against the whole of the Council races?" Valern asked.

"No. As I've already said, I wish only for peace. However, we will not serve under you. We will not be a Council species. Humans will be a separate power in this; so I do see the need to treat one another civilly. We will not go to any of your home worlds. Likewise, none of your people may visit the Sol system without clearance. To do so will be considered an act of war, and will be dealt with accordingly."

"Please! There is no need to be so rash!" Tevos put in, trying to regain control of the situation. "I'm sure we can reach an agreement where the humans can join the Council if only-"

"Don't you understand? I already stated, very clearly, we have no intention of joining this joke of a Council!" Thermidor said, his voice raising before he calmed himself down. "Now, I will be open to trade agreements and communication on further details, and as stated, will be withdrawing the human fleet from Palaven. The war is over, assuming you do nothing to instigate us. This meeting is finished. I hope you all understand that ORCA will be another power. Not one that listens to you, but one you will have to work with and talk to. Not impose your will upon."

Thermidor let his words hang in the air for a moment, staring at each one of the Council members. Sparatus looked furious, Tevos expression was worried and Valern's face was calculating and interested. Either way, Thermidor was far from satisfied with how the meeting had turned out, but he hoped he had made his point to the assembled aliens and where humanity stood.

"We will be leaving now. Good day, Councilors." Thermidor began walking away, flanked by the rest of the ambassador team, but not without one final, parting comment, "Believe me, all I want is peace. War is the last thing any of us want. I had hoped the Council was a coalition of species all working together in an equal manner, but I see I was mistaken. However, you're free to continue doing things how you wish and for the sake of peace you will leave us alone and allow us to do the same. ORCA is a democracy that believes in equality for all. We cannot have that here, and thus, we will never join you."

His piece said, Thermidor turned on his heel and stormed away with the rest of his party following after him.

Malzel stayed behind for a few extra moments, placing a small disk down on the podium they stood before, "This is a data packet on how to contact and communicate with us on any further points. It can be used to open up negotiations to create more peaceable relations between our species… or to declare war. It is up to you to decide, Councilors."

As they rode the elevator down, Thermidor spoke quietly to Malzel. "…I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Malzel smiled at Thermidor, his voice assuring. "You were right to speak out. You've shown that humanity won't be submissive and are a prominent presence in this galaxy. I could see it… the Council has done much to secure control over the other species. They've done their best to maintain order. They're worried about the new power in the galaxy… one that is capable of challenging their position."

"Yes, but I don't-"

"I know you don't wish to fight, and despite everything I don't think they do either." Malzel said. "But we've rocked the boat and shown them what Humanity is capable of. This is a new step for humanity, albeit a shaky one. We'll just have to see what the future holds."

"…That we will." Thermidor smiled slightly as they rode the elevator. "That we will…"

* * *

"That was… certainly something." One of the three Volus ambassadors observed, watching as the human entourage stormed out of the Council chambers. The Council itself stood stock still; it seemed they were having trouble realizing that they were not doing the stepping for once. No, it was them who were being stepped on. The Volus could relate, but held no sympathy for them as the Volus had been the ones the Council had selected to step on.

"Perhaps… we should try… contacting the humans." Another suddenly suggested, causing the other two to turn to him with surprise.

"What?" One of them shook his head, "The humans… you saw how they… acted. Do you really think… they would listen… to us?"

"Yes… I do." The Volus confirmed.

The third Volus seemed to consider this, "Would you care to… explain your reasoning… Din Korlack?"

"These humans… they speak of equality." The Volus began, "We have given much to the Council… yet… we have not been offered a seat… in return. While it… is true that we've been… given much and have a place here… perhaps it is time… to invest… in other pursuits." He explained.

"You believe the humans… would be better allies?" One of the Volus asked.

Din sighed, "For a long time… we have been stepped on… by the council. I am… sick of it. I cannot be… the only one who feels this way." As Din looked up at his colleagues, they could see even through the suit he felt strongly about this. All three certainly felt that the Council had treated them unfairly. Perhaps it was time to take a chance. A leap of faith.

"Din… if the Council caught wind of this…" One of the ambassadors began.

Din shook his head, "They… do not have to know. If we enter human space… and do not show hostility… I feel they will… give us a chance."

The two other Volus ambassadors were silent for some time, considering the pros and cons. In the end, it they decided it was well worth it. Despite their long association with the Council, they had yet to receive what they truly wanted. They still lacked a seat on the Council despite their contributions and didn't have any real say concerning matters that affected Council space. They were well aware that the other species looked down on the volus. If they did nothing, it would always remain that way. However, if they had a chance… to be treated as equals…!

"Very well… Din. You will be… in charge of this mission. You will… meet with the humans… the Earth Clan. Good luck…"

"I understand. Let us… arrange it as soon as possible." Din suggested.

With that the three left the balcony overlooking the Council chamber, to set in motion events that would, with luck, finally benefit the Volus. If the Council wanted to refuse the humans, they could do just that. The Volus, on the other hand, were gifted merchants. They knew a good opportunity when they saw it. And this was a chance none of them wanted to pass up.

* * *

-One Month later, over the human colony of Selaris-

"This is the _Piercing Arrow_, reporting back from scouting with the 6th patrol group." An officer said as the Cruiser-class ship eased beside an orbiting space station. The planet, Selaris, was planned for colonization as its atmosphere was close to pre-war Earth and terrain was rather easy to build structures on. Far easier than Kalton, a planet in the same Solar system closer to the sun that was planned to be a military stronghold thanks to its mountainous terrain and plentiful resources. This solar system was just two jumps away from Earth, a trip that in total only took a few hours, give or take a few minutes.

The fiasco that was relations with the Council had finally settled down, and the Citadel and ORCA were now in a tentative agreement. The Citadel, being a hub of galactic community, allowed for human presence on the station but they were not given an embassy. Not that humanity was too broken up about it, as their lack of an embassy on the Citadel showed that they were a species separate from the Council's system. Not only that, but Home systems were off-limits, though there were exceptions recently established that allowed for trade. Naturally, humans withheld their military technology, and although the Citadel did not have many advantages over the humans, they kept the ones they did close to their chest. Overall, peace had been achieved in a way.

"_Piercing Arrow, this is Orbiting Star, we read you loud and clear. Please stand by for docking permission." _A transmission from the space station ordered.

"Affirmative, _Orbiting Star_. Awaiting permission." It was silent for a minute, before another transmission came from the station.

"_Piercing Arrow, we have just registered an unknown jump in-system from Relay 431. Can you investigate?" _

While this was surprising, but there was protocol to follow. "That's an affirmative. _Piercing Arrow _and the rest of the 6th patrol group will move to investigate. Send us the coordinates." The officer requested. Immediately after the console pinged, confirming that the coordinates were sent. With a few button pushes, the coordinates were set for the whole patrol group as the single Cruiser and five Frigates began moving in the direction of the 431 Relay.

"Why are we changing course, officer?" The commander of the Cruiser inquired.

"We got an unidentified use of the 431 Relay, sir. _Orbiting Star _wants us to investigate." The officer explained.

The commander, Jared Soloman, nodded at that. "I see. Do they have any other details?"

"Negative, sir. We're going blind." The officer answered.

Jared nodded, "If that's the case I want Kojima shields up and cannons primed. Prep the missiles, cybernetic warfare systems prepared. If this is some stunt by that Council…" The military and public were all well aware of how the meeting between the Council and the humans went, and most everyone agreed it was smart to take a strong stance against those bigots. Draw a line in the sand that could not be crossed, so to speak. However, there were many who had hoped that making active, cooperative peace with aliens could see more progress. As things were, that could not happen.

"Ready, sir. Should we activate a Kojima jump to the location?" The weapons officer inquired.

"Yes. Be sure to keep your distance; we're still running in blind here." The commander ordered. At that, all six ships disappeared in a bright green light, appearing at the relay in less than a minute. What greeted them was surprising.

A single ship, clearly alien in make, was simply waiting by the Relay. As soon as they had jumped in, the ship turned to face them, though did not raise shields or prime any weapons according to power scans already being done on the ship. It was then an even more unexpected event occurred. A transmission was broadcast on open channel, the cruiser and its five Frigates intercepting the signal. What issued forth was very different from what the Council had said to the humans that day.

"_My greetings, Earth Clan. Please first understand… that we mean no harm… and that we are not here… under orders from the Citadel." _To their confusion, the sentences were interrupted with what sounded like intakes of breath from inside of a suit. _"This is an ambassador ship… from my species… the Volus. My name… is Din Korlack. I am here to… hopefully broker an agreement of sorts with the Earth Clan." _The commander had heard enough.

"Send a transmission for video contact. Thermidor already stated what we should do in case this was to happen." Jared ordered.

"Earth Clan?" One of the officers nearby wondered.

"It has something to do with Volus culture. They refer to other species based on their source world rather than the name of a species itself." Jared offered to the confused officer. "Of course, you'd know that if you had read up on the codex entry as it required for all soldiers on duty, wouldn't you?"

"S-Sorry sir!" The new recruit stammered and Jared shook his head in amusement.

Humanity was well aware of other species' customs and culture now thanks to the fact they had access to codices and other such information. Omni-tool technology was a useful thing, indeed.

"Should we alert Thermdior, commander?" His communication officer asked.

"Let's make sure they're the genuine article. It'll be easier to do that when I can see their face." The commander decided, getting a confirmation from his officer before a screen appeared over the view port, and what appeared to be a suited, rather short alien appeared.

"_I… am pleased to see… you are willing to talk with us. I am Din Korlack… ambassador for the Volus."_ The alien spoke.

The commander nodded, "I am Jared Soloman, commander aboard the Cruiser-class Spatial Arms Fort _Piercing Arrow_. Excuse me for being frank, but is your intention of peace genuine? After what happened at the Citadel…"

The Volus seemed eager to put any doubt out of the way, _"Of course, that is… perfectly understandable. We are prepared to… go to some lengths to prove our offer… is genuine. I would like… to meet with your leader Thermidor… before too much is said. For now… if you wish, you can board… our ship and see for yourself. We have no intention… of being hostile." _Din explained.

Jared considered this for a moment, "Would I be permitted to bring armed soldiers as well?"

The Volus nodded, _"Certainly. It is our hope… to promote trust and cooperation… as soon as possible."_

Jared stood from his chair, "This seems to be a generous offer, and a very trusting one on your part. If you are ready, I and a team of others will take a drop ship over to visit."

"_Excellent! I will be sure… to direct you to the hangar. I will… prepare a tour of the ship… as well." _The Volus said, before the transmission cut out. The Volus ship simply sat right where it was. The only difference was an opening on the bottom of the ship, likely the hangar the Volus had spoke of.

"Keep the shields up, but put weapons on standby as a gesture of good faith. Have a group of soldiers ready for me in the hangar. I'll be in contact. Send a transmission to Thermidor detailing that the Volus ambassador wants to speak with him." The commander ordered as he walked out of the bridge, on his way to the hangar.

Maybe there was hope for a genuine alliance between the humans and another alien species.

* * *

"So you believe they're honest about this?" Thermidor asked Jared as the two walked through just one of the many hallways that spanned the inside of _Orbiting Star_.

"I do." Jared confirmed, "They greeted us with no indication of any hostility whatsoever, allowed me and a group of armed soldiers onto their ship, and even gave us a tour. All the while the Volus ambassador was telling me about how ridiculous he thought the Council was in how they greeted us, saying that the Volus did not share their selfish ways. Said they even sympathized with us. I'm still not totally sure though; he said he wanted to speak to you before really getting into the heart of the matter." Jared explained.

"Hm… I'd say they deserve a meeting after all that. Where has it been arranged?" Thermidor inquired.

"Their ship is docked with the station right now, and the Volus ambassador, Din Korlack, agreed to meet with you on our terms along with two other Volus. He's waiting in a simple meeting room, under supervision of course. Malzel already arrived as per your orders twenty minutes ago; he should already be waiting." Jared detailed as the two finally made it to the room. Thermidor turned to the commander.

"I want you to stay out here. Malzel and I will meet and talk with the Volus ambassador ourselves." Thermidor announced.

"Yes sir." Jared snapped a quick salute, before heading to the room where he could watch the proceedings. Thermidor didn't hesitate in opening the door, surprised to see Malzel already talking with the Volus ambassador.

"… So I can tell you… I was surprised when the Hanar started trying… to attack my secretary. They are not made… for fighting out of water, of that… I can assure you." Apparently the Volus had just finished telling a comical story to Malzel who was chuckling lightly.

Turning around at the sound of the door opening, Malzel greeted the leader of ORCA, "Thermidor, good to see you made it. Now we can begin the meeting."

Taking a seat beside Malzel and across from the three Volus, Thermidor spoke, "I take it you are Din Korlack?"

"That I am." The Volus said, nodding his head slightly in greeting, a gesture Thermidor returned. "I cannot express our gratitude… for you agreeing to speak with us."

Thermidor nodded, "I thought it was only right. I noticed I didn't exactly have an opportunity to speak to the Volus about what they might think of that whole fiasco. Or any other species aside from the Council races for that matter."

The Volus shook his head ruefully, "And what a fiasco… it was. I knew the Council was foolish at the worst of times… but I didn't think they would reject the Earth Clan after witnessing what you can do…" The Volus admitted. "Speaking of the Council… I would ask that this meeting… be kept from them."

Malzel raised an eyebrow at that, "Can we ask why?"

"Of course, of course." Din was quick to agree, "As you may have guessed… the Council places themselves above certain… other species."

"Yours included?" Thermidor spoke.

"Yes. We are not… one of the main Council races and… do not have a seat on the Council. We have an embassy… but are a mere associate race despite the many contributions we've made." Din confirmed. Thermidor noted that the Volus' voice sounded bitter and angry. "If they were to catch wind of this… before an agreement between the Volus… and the Earth Clan was reached, there may be… negative repercussions for us."

Thermidor smiled, "Well… it's not like we have any obligation to tell them anything. I don't see any reason to start just so they can ruin something that may be very beneficial for both our species."

The Volus seemed to be very pleased with that answer, "I am glad… that we see eye to eye. It appears… this will be a very good meeting yet." Din then pulled a small device from his suit, explaining its purpose, "This is a hologram projector… I have the details of my proposal on this… so that it will be easy for all of us to view it." He then placed it on the table, turning it on. Thermidor was surprised to see a planet appear over the device.

"A planet? Why are you showing us this?" Malzel asked.

Din was quick to explain, "This is a planet on the border… between human and Volus space. Right now it belongs to us… but… we would like to offer it… to you."

Thermidor was stunned, to say the least. "You're giving us a whole planet?" He narrowed his eyes in suspicion, "What's the catch?"

Din shook his head, "No catch. We're not using it… it's simply collecting dust. Our only hope was that it could be… an experiment. A trial project of sorts."

"A trial project?" Now both Thermidor and Malzel were interested.

"Yes… to see how the Earth-Clan and Volus… can interact with one another. It is on the edge… of Volus and human space… so it is in an ideal position for that. A place where Earth-Clan and Volus can work, and coexist." Din said, seeming pleased. "It could pave the way to a better… future between our two species. It is not as if… we expect to be fully trusted immediately."

Malzel and Thermidor both considered this deeply. In all honesty, there was no reason to reject this offer. Thermidor decided to see just how far out this olive branch extended, "What of the planet's security? Would we be admitted to have our ships guard it?"

The Volus nodded, "Of course, legally this planet… will be yours. We only hope… Volus would be allowed to live and do business on it… freely. The Volus also do not have… a large military force. We had hoped… you would be taking that role."

Thermidor traded glances with Malzel. That was all it took for the two to decide it would be foolish not to accept this offer. It was probably going to be the best deal they would get with aliens, and seemed to be extremely tilted in their favor. It was about time some changes were made. Hopefully, this would see humanity advance even more, and the Volus apparently wanted to be right there next to them.

Thermidor smiled to Din, "I'd have to be a fool to refuse such an offer. ORCA would be pleased to do this with you. Who knows, maybe it will go beyond just this in the future."

Din sighed in relief, leaning back in his chair now that the most formal proposition had passed, "That is exactly what we hope for… Thermidor. We look forward to a very… prosperous future for both Volus and Humanity."

And what a future it would be.

* * *

CODEX – Entry No.2 Subject: HUMANS

**Saturn: **A human-controlled world, it is located in the Sol System. It is the true engine behind Humanity's war machine, serving as a production and management base for the hundreds of AFs currently in use. As the surface is not suitable for human life, sixty separate space stations make up for the lack of such necessities. In addition to these, there are currently two hundred ten separate construction platforms, most dedicated to producing ships for humanity's growing fleets. The twelve that are not are used for this purpose build space stations, and the rare occasions in which a Dreadnaught-class or higher is involved. This is all made possible by Saturn's belt and many moons, which are rich in resources humans require for manufacturing. It is estimated that it will take over a thousand years, at the least, to exhaust these resources. In compensation for this, humans have begun inspecting the uses of the belt surrounding the solar system.

**ARGIS Construction Platform: **Of the two types of spatial construction machineshumans have created, the ARGIS Construction Platform is the smaller one. The ARGIS type is responsible for the construction and upkeep of Frigate-class, Destroyer-class, Interceptor-class, Carrier-class, and Cruiser-class platform is also capable of housing approximately nine hundred AFTER Construction Automatons, as well as one dumb AI each. There are currently one hundred ninety eight ARGIS Construction Platforms in use.

**ENCOMPASS Construction Platform: **This is the larger of the two types of construction platforms used by humans. The ENCOMPASS type is responsible for the construction and upkeep of the few Dreadnaught-class ships in service, while eight of these platforms worked together to construct the _Whale_. They also build various space stations as well as additional construction platforms. Overall, these platforms are dedicated to more civilian pursuits than the ARGIS type, which builds largely military supplies. This platform houses two thousand AFTER Construction Automatons, as well as five dumb AI. There are currently twelve ENCOMPASS Construction Platforms in operation.

**AFTER Construction Automaton: **One of the few designs created by humans based on NEXT technology. Each holds a small Kojima Core, and is about an eighth the size of an average NEXT. These automatons were built as versatile construction units, to work in both space and the surface. They became essential for Humanity's incredible rate of expansion, so that Humans would not be at risk working in hostile environments. Additionally, these automatons are controlled remotely by dumb AI, overseen by a small team of humans. This method of construction has seen amazing results, producing Humanity's formidable spatial fleet in only a few number of years.

**OVERWATCH Drop Ship: **A military vehicle, it is a staple in the transport from troops to vehicles, even going so far as to be able to transport a NEXT quickly and efficiently. Seeing its first live-fire combat in the First Contact War, the drop ship proved itself capable in handling various operations, dropping troops off in critical positions even while under heavy fire. The OVERWATCH is also capable of limited support, sporting high plasma-explosive missiles and plasma energy auto cannons. It is equipped with Kojima thrusters on the front and back, and both sides. This is necessary to perform evasive maneuvers on short notice, a must-have when picking up or dropping off its cargo. In the end, the drop ship became a vehicle loved by pilots everywhere, resilient enough to have some of the more sentimental pilots put their own emblems on their ship as so many NEXT pilots are so fond of doing.

**Avenger Plasma Rifle: **Standard issue among the military of ORCA, most soldiers possess this assault rifle. As all firearms are in the ORCA military, it is equipped with plasma magazines, rendering kinetic shielding useless against it. The rifle is rounded on the top, capable of being equipped to sport a scope if a soldier prefers the more accurate single or burst shot as opposed to the fully automatic option, all of which this gun is capable of firing. Various other additional devices can also be equipped to the gun to make it more versatile in combat, such as extended magazines or an under slung grenade launcher. This gun was put into service three months after Humanity expanded into space, first introduced by the Rayleonard Corporation.

* * *

**A/N: And that is the second entry for the ever-expanding codex. Remember, if you want any specifics on certain tech, say so in a PM or review and I might toss it into the next entry. Anyway, sorry that it took so long to upload, but I had things that needed taking care of that I would rather not talk about. It is great to see such a strong response to this, though! Seriously, only two chapters and over forty reviews! Thank you fellows so much! I hope that this chapter satisfied you, my esteemed readers! The next chapter should be out soon. Just between you and me, I've already started writing it… so! Please review, though no flaming if you please! Until next time!**

**This is Kirbboy, over and out!**


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